Battle of Endurance
by Doublebend
Summary: After an argument with Yukimura, Sasuke realizes that their love will endanger his master and friends. He distances himself from them, indifferent and cold to his master's affection. Can Yukimura earn him back, or will he succumb as well? YukixSasu R&R!
1. Differences

Right! This is my second story, again on Samurai Deeper Kyo. This one is completely about YukimuraxSasuke, so I hope it will be good reading for fans of that pairing! I guess there are some slight, implied KyoxYuya, but I'll work around that for most of the time. This fic is pretty angsty, but that's only because I like to see poor Sasuke hurt himself, such as get into a fight with Yukimura, make up and do some lovey-dovey things (I am so mean…). Hopefully.

Well, for pity's sake, disclaimer. Because if I owned SDK then I would have added MUCH more of YukiSasu moments, and maybe would have gone as far as renaming it Yukimura & Sasuke LOVE or something like that.

Please read on!

* * *

The setting sun cast it's brilliant rays down on the wide, yet barren street, shadows casting over less open side paths of the main road. One of them, shrouded completely in the growing darkness between two long, tall walls stretching on into a distance, before curving off to form a corner some way off. There was nothing different about it compared to the other tributaries in the small town – peaceful, quiet, and no lamps out to light the pitch black way. Nothing, except for short, sharp intakes of air emitted from the two people hidden in the deepest gloom.

Yukimura pressed up to Sasuke, sandwiching him with the wall. His arms were wrapped tightly around him. 'Don't you love me, Sasuke?'

'Hell no,' the golden eyed boy said, squirming against the large body and the force applied to it. 'How could I, when I can hardly breathe because of you? You're pressing too hard…'

Yukimura chuckled. 'Oh, don't misunderstand yourself, Sasuke. You can't breathe because the man you love, a. k. a me, is so close to you. Not that you're complaining much, are you? I'm only trying to get as close as possible to you.'

Sasuke blushed, stopping for a moment with his writhing. His hands wormed up from the slight gap between them from his sides, and placed themselves on Yukimura's chest. However, he did not push him away. 'You idiot,' he said softly. 'How could a stupid, annoying, womanizing idiot like you, always manage to know what I want? What I need?'

Yukimura's smile broadened. 'Because you're so easy to read, Sasuke. Oh, don't get all moody- you really are just a kid right now. But that's okay- don't be angry, please- because you're more than a capable bed partner than some of the women I have known. In fact,' he leaned forwards, bending his head. Their foreheads touched; dark blue eyes met the gaze of half lidded golden ones. 'I'm beginning to think that I should reserve my special nights for you, and only you.'

Sasuke stared hard into the other man's face, and began to tilt his head back, straightening his posture to rise a few centimeters, trying to meet the man's lips. 'Then promise me that you won't go after them anymore,' he said quietly. 'Promise me that you won't leave me for any of those women, that I am the only partner for you…whether in bed or not,' he added, as he tried to move in to close the last tiny area of air between their mouths. However, Yukimura, being taller by miles, effortlessly lifted his head a teasing bit, away from the advancing, smooth, pink lips. He looked down proudly at Sasuke's surprised, disappointed face.

'And I told you before, I can't do that,' Yukimura replied gently. 'I need to uphold my image as either the woman loving Genjiro, or even just the woman loving Sanada Yukimura in front of our companions, to prevent any more danger attacking us than you already have to bother yourself with.'

Sasuke's arms slithered up his chest, brushing lightly over the slightly hardened nipples and up and around Yukimura's shoulders and neck. 'Mmm…Yukimura,' he mewled in protest, as the man raised his head even higher, despite the surprising strength of the young boy's arms forcing down on his neck. He sighed, and settled for snuggling up against Yukimura's torso. 'I don't mind, you know,' he answered softly, pushing his face into the larger man's chest. He didn't see the teasing smile, but he did feel the large hand coming down to rest on his crown. 'Protecting you is fun, especially because I get to fight strong guys when I'm around you. It gives me the best satisfaction when I rip them to bits, and then you come and hug me, saying I was so brave and heroic and thanking me…by…' He blushed into the other man's clothes, burying his face further into it. He rarely showed this type of shy affection, and while he was aware of his embarrassed actions, he kept it up knowing that Yukimura could not bear suppress the rising, warm sensation when he saw the child do this. But then, a lone thought crossed his mind, drawing his attention to the previous request.

He turned his head and frowned up at Yukimura from his chest. 'But we've been going on like this for months, now. And I _enjoy _beating up the guys that come after us. So _why_, why do we have to keep this all a secret?' The frustration he had kept pent up for a while was coming back up again, filling his mind with questions and doubts.

Yukimura sighed, watching the smaller boy's face carefully. 'Sasuke, for the millionth time, if our enemies knew that we were in love, then they'll never let it rest, will they?'

The creases on his little forehead deepened at this excuse. 'What do you mean by that?'

Yukimura looked taken aback. 'What do I mean by what?'

'That! "If our enemies knew, they'll never let it rest." If Bonbon or Nee-chan knew, then sure, we'll be pestered a lot by them, but we can live through it, right? So what's so difficult about our enemies…'

Yukimura stared at him for a while. 'Sasuke…I didn't mean it like that. Of course, I am aware of the consequences if the news about us being lovers was revealed to the world. It's the more dangerous ones I'm worried about. If anyone who wishes ill of me, or you, and they had the power to do so, they'll know that the thing that will hurt us most is if the other was harmed in anyway. And I don't want that happening to either of us.'

Sasuke could feel the heat now rising to his cheeks. 'What, you were afraid of me getting kidnapped or something? Do I look so vulnerable to you?'

'You shouldn't underestimate our opponents so much like that, Sasuke,' Yukimura said, still looking down at him sternly. 'And what if it wasn't you who got kidnapped? What if it was me? I'm much weaker than you- don't argue, it's the truth- so I could become an easier target to anyone who wishes ill of _you_.'

'The Jyuuyushi-'

'The Jyuuyushi can only do so much. There have been plenty of times when a monster of some sort, given that it has enough power, to pop up, snap my neck, and be off with my corpse without any of the others noticing during our travels with Kyo-san. Face it, Sasuke, this is the safest way we can keep other people from getting hurt because of the additional...condition.'

Sasuke could have bored holes into Yukimura's skull with his glare. 'You don't trust us. Me.'

'It's not about trust, Sasuke. I'm saying that it will make things much more complicated if everything doesn't turn out well.'

There was a long silence below him. Then, with his lips pursed, Sasuke looked down from Yukimura's face and spoke. 'Then maybe we shouldn't continue this anymore.'

'What?' It was clear from Yukimura's suddenly sharp tone that he had heard, and understood, perfectly well.

'This. Us. It's true that we're only putting more danger on ourselves, and our friends. We should stop this before it gets…worse. I can see…that you care for everyone's safety more than me. I respect that.'

'Sasuke…!'

He had slipped out of Yukimura's arms at the small hesitation he had shown in his lack of strength against the smaller boy's body. As he ran off down the narrow, darkened street, Yukimura watched as he leapt onto a roof of a closed shop, and away into the night, head bowed. He felt a sudden wrench at his heart, and, briefly, a feeling of foreboding entered his mind, a sudden urge to call him back again. He shook his head at the thought of Sasuke leaving him, just like that.

'Sasuke will never…he _needs _me, he wanted to take me so badly just now, he won't…'

But even his own words gave him no comfort. He knew, in the back of his mind, how stubborn and decisive Sasuke could be. Although he had once counted that as a "cute" point of his little shinobi, it was time to time that he felt it was life costing, and could not count how many orders Sasuke had come close to defy because of that attribute of his.

_He would come back in the morning…I might even find him sleeping in my bed when I wake up…_

Unfortunately not a fool enough to let his petty words calm him down, Yukimura trudged down the night street of the town, worry growing in his heart with every step.

*****

Yukimura did not find his favourite shinobi in his warm futon the morning after, much to his great disappointment. In fact, he did not see any sign of him the whole of the morning hours, and spent much of his time fretting, tramping around the onsen lodge they were staying at from room to room endlessly, searching for the small, familiar figure while Kyo, Yuya, Benitora and Okuni sat around on the tatami, eating their breakfast of fish, rice, miso soup and so many other things Yuya's (unwillingly "lent") money could buy.

'Yukimura-san seems a lot restless today, doesn't he?' Yuya observed, after Yukimura drew open the sliding door, popped in his head to look around the room, withdrew it and slid the door back close for the fourth time after they had started eating.

'There's even so much of the Izumi sake he likes so much,' Benitora commented, drinking a whole bottle of said sake down in one gulp. 'Something must be really upsetting him to miss this!' He let out a satisfied sigh and wiped some of it dribbling from his mouth with his sleeve- and started giggling.

'Tora-san, you shouldn't get drunk first thing in the morning,' Okuni said, sipping her own Macha tea. 'I, for one, think it's something to do with Sasuke-kun,' she continued, nodding at the empty seat next to Yukimura's also vacant one. 'I haven't seen him since yesterday, and Yukimura-san had been like that ever since I woke up, so that must mean-' A gleam was profound in her eyes. 'Something must have happened between them last night!'

'…Okuni-san, where are you going?'

'Out to investigate further into the matter, of course. An informer's job starts with knowledge of her colleagues!'

'Okuni-san,' Yuya said firmly. 'If it is something between those two, then we should really leave it alone. It's rude to intrude on someone else's personal property, and Sasuke-kun definitely won't let it rest…'

Okuni had been ignoring the former part of Yuya's ridiculing, but stopped short of opening the door at the mention of the young ninja. 'You're right, Yuya-san,' she said, quickly seating herself back to her breakfast. 'That wild child from the forest, he doesn't know enough to control his anger…and I bet he won't go so easily on women too. But, Yuya-san, what if things between them were, like…' She beckoned Yuya closer, and as she curiously leaned in, started whispering things rapidly into her ear.

'…what..? No! He wouldn't…' 'Oh, but it's Yukimura-san we're talking about here, we don't know what he would do…' 'But even he…and with Sasuke-kun…still a _child-_' 'He's done so many more things, Yuya-san, so he could…' 'OH MY GOD!!! No _way_!!' 'Yes, yes, and then he must've…' 'No wonder! So then does that mean they….?' 'Ooh, yes, that must be it!'

Listening to the snippets of the girls' conversation, Kyo drew in a deep breath trying to rid himself of this idiocy. However, he wasn't left with the peace for long.

'Kyo-ha~n,' Benitora hiccupped, swinging his arm around the other man's shoulders and draping his drunk self next to him. 'What do you think they did~? I think they did whatever those two are saying they did – hic – so what about you~?'

Kyo glared at him, while taking a cup of sake which smell made Benitora reel back in fits of groans. He was about to get up and leave, when Yuya tore herself away from a smirking Okuni, face a deep shade of red and probably close to a nosebleed. 'Ye-yes, Kyo! What do you think they did??'

'…Whatever happened isn't my business,' Kyo finally grunted. As Yuya looked away in disappointment, though, he continued, 'But, it must have hurt one of them bad. If you must know, I think it must have been from a conversation with words, not from a duel with swords.'

Yuya and Okuni looked at him in puzzlement. 'Swords?' Yuya asked, bemused. 'What on earth are you talking about?'

Now it was Kyo's turn to feel confused, though he didn't really show it. 'What are _you _talking about, dog-face? Isn't that what you two were…'

'Aren't _you _the dog-face, no, brain, Kyo?' Yuya snapped, while Okuni smiled. 'Really, Kyo-san, you are the demon eyed, killer of a thousand people. Shouldn't you have a much more heated imagination than that?'

Kyo was unconvinced. 'I don't give a-'

'Think, Kyo, think!' Yuya retorted sharpish, prodding her own temple for emphasis. 'Think of a more,' A smirk identical to Okuni's grew on her face. '_…hot_, night type of experience.'

Okuni went so far as snickering. 'Who would have thought that you could be so innocent, Kyo-san?'

Kyo's mind froze for about ten seconds. '…But Sarutobi is- never mind,' he growled, kicking aside his bottle, and with it, the rolling Benitora, and stomped out to the morning light. Okuni and Yuya looked at each other and fell about giggling, while Benitora, rocking from side to side on his back, joined in with the laughter without being in the right sense of his mind.

'Still,' Yuya said, a little more worriedly after she had stopped laughing. 'What's _really _going on with Sasuke-kun, if he hasn't showed up today yet?'

*****

The four of them said their temporary farewells to Yukimura as they set out from the lodge at around midday, Benitora staggering under the weight of the cart and the after effects of the sake.

'Take it easy, Tora-san,' Yukimura advised, patting him on the back. 'Unless you're _really _used to it like me, you shouldn't go gulping down a strong portion like Izumi sake in one go.'

Benitora grunted painfully. 'I'll keep that in mind. Can you not speak so loudly? My head is killing me…'

'Catch up with us soon, Yukimura-san,' Yuya said, hugging him around the middle quickly. A nerve in Kyo's eye might have twitched. 'I hope you see Sasuke-kun in due time.'

Yukimura gave her a warm smile. 'I'm sure he'll come back very quickly, like when he gets hungry.' He laughed, but Yuya only joined in once she had looked around to check that no shadow of the ken-dama playing boy could be seen nearby. 'He sure picked the perfect time to go off like that…But I'll definitely hurry once I see him back, for I can't keep a pretty girl like Yuya-san waiting for me for so long, can I?' A grateful beam from Yuya, a definite twitch from Kyo. Said demon-eyed samurai turned away gruffly without a greeting, eyes trained stiffly on the dusty road that stretched out in front of them to the distance.

'It must be inconvenient for you, though, Yukimura-san,' Okuni spoke up. 'Not being able to move freely without a Jyuuyushi to watch your back…' She eyed Yukimura shrewdly.

He sighed. 'I like to keep tabs on them the best I can, so that they won't go running off to join some enemy clan and leave me,' His laugh this time was a bitter one. 'But, actually…I'm not waiting just because he's a Jyuuyushi. Frankly, I'm worried about him, and there's some stuff I'd like to smooth over with him as quickly as possible…' He sighed again.

'Well, if that's all, then I hope you enjoy your trip before we find you again!' he chirped, as the cart started to trundle away, Kyo in the lead, Benitora huffing and puffing and pulling the wooden object along, the two women sitting on it in the back. 'Don't have too much fun without me!'

There was a last wave from Yuya, and he went back inside with all intents of walking around the rooms of the inn again, continuing his frantic search for Sasuke.

On the cart, the two females were gossiping again.

'Well? What did I tell you?' Okuni said triumphantly.

'Hey, I never said you were wrong.' (The two quickly glanced behind them to Kyo, and turned back swiftly again, fists stuffed in mouths). 'But, did you hear? He said it wasn't just because Sasuke-kun is a Jyuuyushi!'

'And he said that there were some things they had to smooth over!'

'Ooooh! There really must have been something passionate between them, especially last night…'

Benitora was looking over his shoulders at the two squealing (?) girls on his cart, and mumbled to Kyo, 'What the heck are they talking about, do you know? Kyo-han.'

It took a while before Benitora thought he heard something. 'They're slowly evolving into yaoi fans…' Kyo muttered to himself.

'What was that, Kyo-han?'

'None of your business. Don't lag, keep pulling that cart.'

Kyo did not tell anyone that he had gone off to study a bit after his earlier humiliation.

*****

Yukimura finally sat back in his room, tired after the most vigorous – though completely different - exercise he had had since the last time he and Sasuke spent their night in a bed (or rather, the journey to it- he still had the scratch marks). The sun was already setting, and the bright, crisp morning had quickly turned into the hot, summer afternoon, to now, the evening, when the humidity had decreased a bit to let in the cool, thin breeze in along with the stretching red sky.

And Sasuke was still not back.

Yukimura let out the deepest sigh he had given in the whole day, and he had breathed out a lot- in exasperation, in worry, in loneliness and sadness. Sasuke had never been out this long without telling him, unless something had happened, and if it had…

Yukimura shook his head, as if the gesture would convince him that Sasuke would never let such a thing happen. His shinobi was strong, he told himself, he can take care of himself. He probably needed some time to sort out his feelings from last night, and he'll be back any minute-

_He's back!_

Out from the corner of his eye, he saw something dark drop into a bush out of nowhere, but the rustling was only momentary. A minute or so later, he saw a small, human like figure step out from the very spot, limping and close to collapsing- Sasuke. His Sasuke, wounded and exhausted and at the verge of falling unconscious. Yukimura jerked up the second he spotted him, and was out of the room the next, trampling down the wooden stairs and floorboards towards the garden.

'Sasuke!'

He did not even pause to put something on his bare feet as he ran out into the garden, ready to take Sasuke into his arms, carry him like that upstairs, and have him take every remedy for the injuries he knew. However, just as he closed in towards the little boy, he leapt back a few meters away, out of reach.

He halted then. 'Sasuke…?'

The child bobbed his head. 'Good evening, Yukimura-sama,' he greeted him in a monotone.

Yukimura blinked. 'Wha-'

'Have the others gone already?' Sasuke turned his unsteady gaze at the onsen inn. 'Yes, I can no longer feel their presence around here. However, if we set out now, and make haste to follow their tracks, we could reach them by tomorrow afternoon. Unless, that's if Yukimura-sama is fine with travelling at night. There are no problems with your health at the moment, yes?'

'_I'm _fine,' said Yukimura, staring hard at the other boy. 'It's you who I'm worried about.' He shook his head, but with an easy smile. 'Who are you, and what have you done with the real Sasuke?' he asked jokingly, stretching his open arms out at him. 'Come here, Sasuke. You need to get yourself treated. Why did you leave so suddenly? Are you still mad about yesterday? I think you took it the wrong way, I didn't mean-'

Sasuke stepped back as soon as Yukimura came forward. 'I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Yukimura-sama. But I am feeling perfectly well. If we are done here, then I suggest we should go pack our belongings, and hurry to aid the others-'

'Sasuke,' The boy looked up at this sudden change in his master's tone, and found himself staring into the darkened, fierce face of the samurai. He did not show it, but a shiver passed up his spine, rendering him briefly speechless. 'What's wrong? I can't read your mind- you need to tell me.'

Sasuke stared up defiantly. 'Nothing's wrong, my lord,' he said clearly.

'Don't give me that. What have you been doing for the past sixteen hours? How did you end up looking like that?' Yukimura's scrutinizing expression did not leave his demanding face.

Sasuke hesitated, but only for a very short moment. 'I was fighting,' he answered, no hint of the usual, stubbornly defying air about him, and his voice sounded around the garden as a hollow, humble note. 'I was at that town we passed a few days back, the one with lots of bandits terrorizing the outskirts of it. I was fighting them.'

'What on _earth_ possessed you to do that?'

'…I needed something to do,' Sasuke said quietly, now addressing the space next to Yukimura's head. 'They- they tried to hurt you before. As one of your Jyuuyushi, I had to make sure they won't do it again, so I-'

Yukimura was looking absolutely livid now. 'They were no danger to me! We've moved on quite a bit now, there's no way they'll waste their time to come search for us! Tell the truth, Sasuke- you were just using them to relinquish your anger at me.' There was a silence following the words, in which Sasuke gave no reply, and finally turned his eyes to the ground. 'Answer me, Sasuke!' Yukimura practically bellowed in fury.

'I wasn't,' A small voice came from the equally little boy standing in front of him. 'I wasn't,' he started again, his voice slightly stronger this time. 'Angry, at you. I was… just trying to accept what you wanted most, what you thought was best.'

Not quite understanding what his shinobi meant, Yukimura backtracked to the more specific parts of yesterday's events, and his eyes softened when he quickly recalled them. 'Is it about us having to be apart for most of the time we're in front of others?' he asked, in a much calmer voice than before. 'Sasuke, that was _not _what I meant. I hold you most dear to my heart. I would never force such an option on you if I really had to make a choice-'

'Yet, you are right in doing so,' Sasuke interrupted, his eyes now trained on the grassy patch at his feet. 'My job, the reason I exist as I am now, is to protect you as one of the Sanada Jyuuyushi. I will trade my own life for your safety, no matter how much you oppose to the idea. The fact remains,' Here he plucked up enough courage to look back up, look once again into the other's sad eyes. 'That I am, in all means of the word, your servant. And you are, admittedly, no ordinary master. If I am harmed, then you'll put yourself into greater danger for my sake, and I will be failing my purpose for living. I am only here to obey your every order, and I cannot do anything otherwise to my duty as a protector- I will not allow myself to come any closer to you. This is for your own sake, Yukimura-sama. Please try to understand this.'

'I _don't_,' Yukimura pressed. 'I have told you, time and again, that I do not wish for you to risk your own life to save my own. Even if it wasn't you who was killed, and it was someone else like Kosuke or Saizo, I will never forgive myself. But Sasuke- I have never thought of you as a simple servant. You are my friend, Sasuke, my lover- my Sasuke. Have I not always told you that you have freedom to do as you wish, while not participating in a mission?'

'Then you must respect my wishes for this, Yukimura-sama,' The other boy replied. 'I have no wish to endanger yourself, or your friends because of my carelessness. You can do anything you want with me- but you can expect nothing _from_ me. I am going to follow my word of keeping to myself, for this is the only way you will accept the undeniable fact. I will say one more thing; at the moment, I do not care if you continue to hurt yourself because I am distancing myself from you, all that I know is that this is for the best.'

A long silence followed those words. A breeze lifted, rushing past the thick leaves of the trees and bushes in the garden, wide ripples appearing in the pond beside them. Sasuke forced himself to look up, once again, and this time was almost tempted to step back at the sight of Yukimura's face. It was cold, hard, and uncaring- if he had been angry before, that would have been a picture of doting compared to this. Though seeming calm in a way, not a trace of the usual friendliness showed through this mask of indifference. Sasuke had only seen these kinds of expressions of Yukimura before when he was extremely agitated, mostly after Sasuke had done another stupid thing, like trying to exchange his own life for his master's. However, the young shinobi knew that the purpose for this time was completely unsimilar, and it made all the difference in the world. It was almost a look of pure hate.

Sasuke felt, for the first time with Yukimura, a thrill of fear, and another unpleasant feeling- one that he felt constantly recently- of deep shame, and a helpless, despairing consciousness.

'Is that all you have to say for yourself, Sasuke?' Even his voice was wintery, catching the addressed boy's breath in his throat. 'I can do nothing to change your mind?'

Sasuke fought to keep his line of sight steady, to keep himself from swaying away at the intensity of his lord's gaze. 'It is my decision,' he answered. Even to his own ears he sounded faint. 'I can only try to persuade you in leaving this matter alone as it is.'

Yukimura closed his eyes, letting all expression wash of his face and reopening them once he had a weary, forced smile on. It looked as though it was taking all of his efforts in keeping it there. 'You know that I won't listen to a pathetic statement like that.'

Sasuke's heart thudded at the word "pathetic"; nevertheless, he ignored it and lifted his chin slightly. 'I would rather you did- this is, no matter to exactly which person the danger signs all point to if the…connection, between us had been discovered and left unsevered, something that consists of both of us. You cannot move on without the other. I am not about to.'

The smile seemed to droop a bit, but the darkened eyes never left his face. 'So all I have to do is to make you see the light, and give in faster than I do, right? Which will be, never.'

Some of the young boy's confidence had come back, now that Yukimura had gotten rid of most of his threatening atmosphere. 'We'll see. In the meantime, Yukimura-sama, why don't we fetch our bags and head off in search of the others? We still have some light, for a few hours at least.'

With surprising speed, Yukimura grabbed the boy's arm before he could flinch away. 'Hold your horses there. You're still injured. We're going to get you bandaged up, and a steaming dinner, and a cosy bed to spend the night in, _not _running around the town searching for whichever brothel Kyo-san and the rest are staying at tonight. You might have forbid yourself from coming any closer to me, but I'm still on a free rein- I refuse to be restricted in accounts of who I love.' He gave a real, though small smile then, hoping fervently for the usual blush that rose up to Sasuke's cheeks when he said the word. However, much to his chagrin, none showed.

Sasuke smoothly stepped away from him, slipping the clutched arm out of his grasp. 'Thank you for your concern, Yukimura-sama, but I am not that wounded and in need of such aid. I am in good condition, and I will be more than pleased to be of Yukimura-sama's assistance for his later plans in following Onime no Kyo and his companions.' He said all this with absolutely no expression on his face, which was enough to make Yukimura wonder if he had actually meant it. Whatever the answer, it was not important at this time.

Yukimura, now feeling a little desperate to stop Sasuke from leaping off into the unknown blackness of the night, chose another track rather than pursue the previous point. 'But _I'm _tired Sasuke,' he gave a coy smile. 'I'd rather we wait till tomorrow for following Kyo-san, and we spend the night here, hmm?'

His reply was swift and expected. 'Very well. I hope Yukimura-sama has a good night's sleep, and I presume we will be starting in the morning after brea-'

'Sasuke,' Yukimura quickly took hold of the string of his talk. 'I command you to get your wounds cleaned up.'

'I assure you they are not that serious-'

'Do I need to repeat myself?'

'No, Yukimura-sama.'

'Good. And I also command you to sleep _soundly_- that means no night strolls.'

'But you need a night watch-'

'Sasuke, it's an order. I order you to sleep with me tonight.'

'…Yes, Yukimura-sama.'

The older man hid his contented twitching at the corner of his lips. Sasuke had, although much to his great displease, pretty much declared himself his servant who would obey any command Yukimura gave. He knew that it was a dirty trick, and that he was taking advantage of a loophole from a vulnerable, yet heavily guarded child, but this was the only way now to get his Sasuke back to him…by slowly making him acknowledge that he was happiest when he was with Yukimura, that his own happiness counted as much as Yukimura's life.

Though not as eager as he could have been if this was a game, like the ones his Jyuuyushi sometimes played amongst themselves by betting their belongings on who would last longest on a case less serious, he felt oddly satisfied in his plan, and wondering very discreetly how Sasuke would cope with his own struggles as he goaded him towards victory. A chortle almost escaped him as he turned to usher the small boy towards the porch, but it faded quickly before he himself had reached it. For as soon as Sasuke had gotten his grubby figure to it, his knees gave out and he collapsed forwards, slumping half onto the raised wooden floor of the inn, half out towards the garden. His turmoil of suppressed emotions, with especially the most negative of his thoughts causing him to bear more weight on it had finally worn him down to the point of crumpling. That, combined with the toll from last night's nonstop hunting of fleeing bandits, and the pressure from his wounds he had sustained throughout the hours there, as well as the simple weariness of staying awake the whole night and day since yesterday, was enough to make his mind black out and his self to go into a natural state of sleep.

However, Yukimura was far too deep in panic to register all that.

'Sasuke? Sasuke!? Wake up! Sasuke!!'

His cries attracted a serving girl in a nearby room, who took one look at the situation and took control at once. She had Yukimura to quieten down enough to have him taken to his room upstairs, while she herself sent for a bucket of clean, cool water and soaking towels.

Sasuke heard all this very dimly, and slowly growing even more muffled as he slipped deeper into his sleep. The last thought that crossed his mind before he was enveloped by darkness was clearly one of regret, and resolute.

_Sorry…Yukimura…_

And he knew no more.

* * *

Aww. Poor Sasuke. You know, I would have felt sorry for him- if I didn't hold the heart of a devil and just think that he is so CUTE. I reckon I messed up the whole part when he left Yuki-chan, maybe should have made it more dramatic, but I guess it's alright like this too. Anyway, I want to hurry up and finish as much as I can off before I'm shipped off to summer vacation. Away from the computer. Will I ever have any peace in my life?

I am a huge supporter of YukiSasu, or any other yaoi pairings I know (funnily enough, a lot of them consist young boys…think Ciel and Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji, or Ritsuka and Soubi from Loveless. Not my fault, is it?). There is rather little of that pairing around here, and even those which are really good don't seem to collect as much popularity as Yuya and Kyo (BOOOOOOORRRIIINNG. Sorry, I don't mean that- AAAAAH!!! *Is overcome by a crowd of enraged fans, all armed with bats with nails stuck on the end, rakes, broomsticks, and anything else that hurts if you are hit by it*). So I am contributing to spread out the lovely goodness!!!

If you are interested, please read my other stories if you find the time (or the patience). More importantly, please review!


	2. Orders

Aargh...I'm running out of ideas...

Sadly, I will have to leave my computer behind for a few weeks - I'm going round places for the summer hols. I'll probably try working on paper drafts for all kinds of stories, but I might be concentrating more on **Gang of the City Samurai** than this one. I still need to think up something, anyway...

But, until then, I will try my best on this story!

Dislcaimer. Umm...I'm running out of witty cracks for this, too, how pitiful.

Read on!

* * *

The bright sunlight seeped into the little room through the breaks in the wooden shutters attached to the window, casting lined shadows onto the tatami floor below. The leaves of the plum tree outside waved in a slight breeze, and the birds chirped a bright chorus of morning greetings in the cool air.

Sasuke woke to those clear, light sounds, eyes unfocused, mind befuddled as his consciousness finally snapped to his brain. A calm, relaxing atmosphere had settled around him, affecting his still sleepy head and making him want to just close his eyes again. He mumbled under his breath, shifting to turn his head sideways for better comfort – and stopped suddenly as he came in contact with a sturdy body lying next to him.

Fearfully, he slowly acknowledged that his head was now resting against a firm chest, rising and falling as the person next to him breathed deeply in their sleep. Tilting his head upwards, inch by inch, his gaze climbed the torso, the slender neck, the sleeping, beautiful face –

Yukimura lay at his side, underneath the same blanket that covered him. Shuffling nervously to get a better view, he found that he had also been using Yukimura's arm as a pillow, and a great blush stretched across his face. After taking a few seconds to comprehend the shock of suddenly waking up in the arms of his master, he settled, trying to think of a way to slip out without getting noticed.

He had not forgotten the events of the previous day. He still remembered the shame he had caused, and the pain he had inflicted on his dear, former lover. However, he had accepted that when he made the decision to stay away from Yukimura, to protect him even if he meant that he would have to make himself hated enough to be kept at bay.

Yes, he was afraid. Yes, he would have wanted another way out of this, a compromise. But in all brutal honesty, he was a servant – and Yukimura himself had made that painfully clear last night. His cheeks turned a rosy colour as he recalled the final order – _'Sleep with me.' _His master had not realized that he planned to make every order he uttered that was part of a plan to bring him closer, a stinging backfire to distance himself even more. He could certainly use this as one of those rebounds.

Yet…he felt oddly warm, sheltered in Yukimura's arms. Despite his misgivings, he still sorely missed his master's sweet words and kind voice, and while he couldn't remind himself of Yukimura's superior behaviour last night without a wrenching heart, he also couldn't deny the thrill he had felt when he recognized the detail of the orders. He snuggled up towards Yukimura's chest once again, deciding to pretend that he was still asleep if the man decided to wake up with him like that, and so will begin his day of ignorance and silence, as he restrained himself from falling into the older man's arms, desperately disregarding him to prevent himself from begging for forgiveness at his actions, and for Yukimura to take him back. But till then, they could stay like this. Breathing in the sweet scent of the man as he pressed up to him, he noted for the first time that he was covered in neatly layered bandages all over. With a pang, he realized that somebody had gone to the extent of dressing him over his injuries – and he had a pretty good idea who that somebody was.

Minutes later, Yukimura stirred, and Sasuke felt a sharp finger jab him gently on the cheeks. 'Sasuke,' he heard the soft, cheerful voice call from somewhere above. 'Wake up, Sasuke.'

Having practiced this in his head for the short while it had taken for Yukimura to awake, he easily slipped on his mask of indifference as he slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at his master's eager face without expression. 'Good morning, Yukimura-sama,' he greeted quietly, keeping his voice monotonic and refusing to bite his lip as he watched Yukimura's face fall from this plain reaction. Clearly, and exactly to Sasuke's expectations, he had been looking forward to the shocked and embarrassed look on his shinobi's face as he, too, rose for the morning. With hardly noticeable hesitance, he rolled away the comforting body heat and off his master's arm on which he had been laying on as a pillow, bent his knees to a kneel as he reached the edge of the futon and faced Yukimura. Before the man could say anything he was bowing deeply at him, forehead touching the bamboo stripped floor of the tatami. 'I'm deeply sorry for yesterday's affairs,' he mumbled, wincing as he imagined Yukimura's face brightening, as he took those words in the unintended way. 'I should have taken care of myself better,' he continued. 'If I had, then I would have been able to follow your orders fully without giving you the inconvenience of me passing out.'

Yukimura frowned. 'What are you say-'

'I am still your servant, Yukimura-sama,' Sasuke lifted his head to stare into the man's dark eyes. 'I am solely bound to serve your every wish, and not drag you down with difficulties I have caused to myself. If you cannot forgive me-'

'Whoa, whoa, Sasuke,' Yukimura crawled up to kneel before him on the futon. 'Why are you still acting like this? Stop calling yourself a servant – you know you aren't only one.'

Sasuke's face did not betray him of his emotions. 'I don't quite believe I am anything more…else.'

'Stop this nonsense,' Yukimura wearily passed his right hand through his hair. 'And you followed my orders to the stitch, didn't you? I had you cleaned, and a nice girl brought up a bowl of steaming water with towels, plus our meal. I fixed your wounds, since we got a good package of bandages as well. Luckily, they were none too serious. And I got you dinner – don't you remember waking up for a short while to have me feed you with some interesting methods?' He winked at the boy, now struggling inwardly to contain his alarmed expression. 'Haha…Just kidding, Sasuke. And lastly, we did sleep together last night. You were too exhausted to do anything after you ate dinner, but we shared a bed… I'll count that as good enough.'

Sasuke hesitated, uncertain if he was telling the truth and his own memory had mysteriously been wiped blank, but gave another appreciative bow all the same. 'Thank you for your leniency, Yukimura-sama. I am grateful that Yukimura-sama had assisted me in so many ways. I hope you find it unnecessary to trouble yourself with such matters in the future.'

The other man was frowning at him. 'Sasuke? Don't call me Yukimura-_sama­. _It sounds…strange, when you do. As well as when you talk to me in third person. Quit it. And I did those things because I wanted to, Sasuke,' He smiled, and reached out suddenly, grabbing the boy's thin shoulders to make eye contact. 'There's no need for such thanks.'

Sasuke said nothing, but got up and slipped out of Yukimura's grasp. 'I think breakfast will be ready shortly, Yukimura-sama,' he said quietly, proceeding to the door. 'I will see you downstairs, and then we can leave to follow Onime no Kyo after that.'

'Sasuke,' Yukimura called after him, but the boy strolled out, sliding the door shut behind him. He was left alone in the room, still sitting on the mattress on the floor, bitter resentment in his eyes.

He had hoped that Sasuke's mood would have improved, if only slightly, by morning, especially in one as great as this. A look of worry passed his face as he sighed and listened dazedly to the birds outside.

The girl had been kind enough to supply him with the listed items last night for the two of them, and had left him at that to tend to his small shinobi's body. He had laid it bare in his arms, the light feeling resting so comfortably against him, as he stripped the boy of his clothes in order to let the warm, soaked towel run over his grubby legs, arms and face, of course along with the wounds before setting him down on the futon to wrap him up with bandages by himself. He did not reject himself the chance to let his eyes sweep over the naked body as it lay unconscious in front of him, but he had somehow managed to finish the job and shake Sasuke awake, once again held in an embrace, as he forced the spoon of soup into the boy's slacking mouth, quite certain that his mind only half awake and, as it turned out, he did not remember any of this as he fell back to sleep immediately after finishing his meal. Having completed the dressing of the child and eaten his own dinner, Yukimura had clambered in along with the soundly sleeping Sasuke and drifted off himself, wallowed in harsh disdain for his own behaviour and actions.

He had taken advantage of the small, young boy. He knew that, but to him the only thing that mattered was Sasuke being returned to his wing, whatever method he chose to take. He was already longing for the boy and hated to see him getting hurt – not knowing what to do with the stubborn, baffling child was his own worst weakness, it seemed, when all he wanted was to see him smile and welcome every day like a normal, happy human, such as himself, may do. Yeah, right.

But, honestly, he was at crossroads. He felt constricted – as though he could not move properly in the right direction, that the more he attempted the more Sasuke will hurt himself more, and that his presence was only making things worse. Yukimura grounded his teeth together in thought as the problem fully weighed itself on his shoulders. It was unlikely that Sasuke was going to give in easily. Even so, it was obvious he had to at least try.

He got up and tidied away the futon, before advancing towards the door and down the stairs for a quick, silent breakfast.

*****

'They can't have gotten that far,' Yukimura observed as he sauntered down the dusty path with Sasuke in front of him, the small lodge disappearing into their background. 'They probably have already reached the next town by now, but we should be able to get to them in a few days time. No need to hurry so much, Sasuke,' he added, as the boy was taking quick, big steps in an effort to keep the distance between them as wide as five meters. He did not turn, and so missed the unhappy look his master behind him was giving, before tipping one of his many sake bottles slung over his shoulder to his mouth and taking a sip.

'There is a forest up ahead, Yukimura-sama,' the small boy's voice reached him, and from the hill they were walking on, he could see that indeed there was, although quite far away from their current position. 'We may have to pass through it sometime during today,' Sasuke continued. 'If you are feeling any unease-'

'I'm perfectly confident, thank you,' his master cut in, then broke out into a smile. 'Especially with you around to protect me, I feel really safe.'

A glance was tossed over his companion's shoulder at him. 'You know that if there is any danger lurking there, I am not so reliable as to ward it completely off.'

'No, I don't know,' Yukimura replied. 'I trust you, Sasuke. Don't put yourself off like that.'

Sasuke gave no answer, but kept on walking down the long road leading to the woodland. Yukimura trailed after him, eyes to the clear sky as he kept up his cheerful atmosphere through the silence that fell once again on them. Hours passed as they hiked on, and finally in the late afternoon they stood at the edge of the darkness cast by the tall, looming trees, the thicket stretching on in gloomy clusters to the unseen distance.

'Imagine how Kyo-san and the rest must have felt when they had to travel through here at _night_,' Yukimura said helpfully.

Since the others had left hours into the day before the two had, it was quite probable that Kyo had insisted they walk on to cover more distance, most likely to Yuya's chagrin.

They trudged on through the towering shadows, stepping through leaves and bushes as they dove deeper and deeper into the thick woods. They didn't come across animals very much, for even the birds seemed to have avoided the claw-like branches stretching above them, across the now rather camouflaged path. Little of the sky could be seen, and it was now obviously darkening into twilight, and it appeared that the sun could not shine very well through the dense arrays of leaves hanging above them on multiple, broad limbs of the trees, all huddled up together. As his master behind him started to hum a tuneless note, which cracked through the deadly silence of the forest, Sasuke bit down the urge to tell him to shut up, when he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. At the same moment, a faint, yet reeking smell reached his acute nostrils, and he stopped in his steps to have Yukimura walk into him.

The older man blinked. 'Sasuke?'

'Something's coming,' Something big. And heavy. Even Yukimura could hear the trampling sounds, as whatever it was barged through anything that was in it's way. Moments later, a ten feet tall hulk of a monster arrived, crashing through the row of trees that surrounded the narrow path they stood on. Yellow eyes rolling, they froze and focused on the two people positioned for battle, and immediately took on the challenge. The great jaw, with too many of it's teeth showing, opened to ribbons of saliva dripping from it to the ground, some arching in the air as the beast threw his head back to let out a resounding, thunderous howl to the closed heavens. It lowered it's gigantic paws, clawed and scaled to the seventh finger on each hand, and snarled in earnest, ready for the fight, the killing.

'Kenyou…?'

Yukimura threw a worried glance at his shinobi, already prepared for the battle with his Shibien held in front of him. He wasn't sure how the wounded boy could take this, and couldn't help wondering if the current disruption in their relationship will drag him down in any way.

'Sasuke…'

'Yukimura-sama,'

The voice was unexpected, and Yukimura blinked in surprise as the boy spoke. 'Eh?'

'…Please wait for me here. I will return shortly.'

He frowned, wondering if he misunderstood the boy. 'Sasuke, what are you…'

He didn't get to finish his question, as the young ninja had suddenly charged forward at the monster before them, sword flashing, with a roar that could have matched his deranged, more beast than human opponent. In a flash, he had sliced into the monster's armoured, thick skull, drawing green blood as the scream was emitted from it's throat. Maddened, the beast twisted to the side where it was sure it had seen his attacker – only to spot the small figure bounding away through the trees off the path, getting further and further away. The infuriated kenyou pounded it's heavy feet on the dirt, and blundered through the woods after the young boy, cracking through a few tree trunks with it's horrific strength. They were soon out of sight and earshot, the hollers having faded quickly away with their speed. Amazing speed, which Yukimura could not keep up with easily.

He had rushed after Sasuke only a few feet behind the monster, but was overcome by the flaying amount of dirt and their alarming pace. Sasuke, having grown up in an environment that was pretty much vegetation, must have felt at home as he leapt away, and the kenyou was of a enormous build, the muscles in it's legs can't have been something to look down on easily. Yukimura _could _have used his speed enhancing techniques, but the obstacles were too great – besides, thanks to Sasuke leaving him, he would be vulnerable to any other predators that popped into his wake while he was alone.

'Sasuke!!' he shouted into the silent darkness of the stretching woodland, but there was no answer, nor any small figures springing through the boughs back to him, informing him with a bored expression that he had gotten rid of the monster already.

Panting as he climbed over another protruding root from the ground, he gave up, and went back to wait on the path as Sasuke had asked him too.

_Asked._ Hmph, despite his politeness in the request, it would have been easily repelled if he had decided to stay long enough for Yukimura to voice his wishes. Instead, he had gone, barreling forwards to fight alone against the massive creature in some unknown distant place. He must have been truly eager to shake off his own master's trail, and get away from him to deal with the danger by himself. He had known Yukimura would insist to fight beside him, and the scar in his heart was still affecting his mind – he could not allow himself to let his master get hurt because of him. His job was to protect Yukimura, no matter what the costs.

A malicious kind of anger was evoked inside Yukimura then. Why, just _why _couldn't Sasuke understand? The boy took things too personally. Why couldn't he just see that the two fighting together would make the whole thing a lot less complicated, and that he was capable of not getting injured – if only he had Sasuke at his side. But the young boy wasn't about to take any chances.

Frustrated, he sat on a small rock on the other side of the path, and grabbed a large clay jug from his shoulder. Chugging down it's contents with a sort of ferocity he would not show in usual conditions, he waited for Sasuke to come back to him.

And waited.

The contrasting sizes of the two figures could have been easily spotted from thirty miles off – where normal people would be in a second if they were unlucky enough to sight the monster and it's stench. Fortunately the woods were not a favourite hangout of the town people, and many travelers were advised to stay away from it if they didn't have a lifetime's ambition of being turned into minced meat. The clearing Sasuke landed in was deserted – the number of hours they had walked since leaving the onsen inn was quite a lot, and the suddenly open sky showed exactly just how much time had gone by till now. Only a few bright, finishing rays of sun could be seen stretched across the horizon, the great ball of fire already underneath it and hidden from his point of view.

Sasuke spun around as the monster, which had always been close at his heels ever since he separated from Yukimura, crashed through the old oak trees as though they were twigs for fetching. It had not, as he had originally hoped, tired out in the least after their long trek through half the forest, but was all the more hungry for blood and supper as it saw that the boy had finally stopped moving and was accepting the fight. What was left of the soldier inside the beast was non existent as it circled him, lolling tongue making a flicking motion as though it was licking it's blackened lips, dribbling as raw hunger came to bite it in the belly. When it thought it had gotten in the blind spot of the boy, it pounced, the brown fangs wedged in it's deformed head gleaming, as it bore down on the little ninja.

However, Sasuke had of course been expecting such moves from a dull and thick headed brute like this one. Before the claws could first plunge into his head he was gone, vanished into thin air as the monster landed on it's feet, looking around in wild confusion. It had not noticed the small figure running at him from behind, but as he leapt, the sharp pain in it's back legs as long gashes were cut into was warning enough to make it twist around and slash blindly at anything that moved in his line of sight.

And it had been sure that it had hit the little flying prey, so hard that it could have been hurled all the way to the other side of the clearing. But the form just melted away, leaving a trail of foliage in it's wake. Instead, the kenyou was met with a stinging sensation as the dark sword was swung to hit his neck from somewhere below, in quite a different direction as where the last attack had landed. Sasuke was struggling to drive his Shibien through the scaly neck, teeth grinding together fiercely as he applied more and more pressure onto his blade.

_Too…strong!!_

He leapt back with a yell, but the monster's attack was swifter this time – it's forearm had struck him across his middle, perhaps wounding him internally as he coughed up blood when he hit the ground. His injuries from the previous nights were nothing serious – they were much like itches unable to be scratched, so he could not place his blame on them. Aggravated, he made rapid calculations as he rolled off to evade another blow.

_The neck is too greatly protected…and so should any of the vital areas on this body. Where would be the softest part to strike…?_

Someplace that would not be so easily reached. Not the head, or the chest. Definitely not the back, where huge spikes sprouted from the backbone. He would be impaled before he got into a meter's length of it.

It was only when the monster reared up for another blow did he get the idea. The thinner looking, paler scales covering unseen flesh – the stomach was almost unguarded, vulnerable.

Using his small size to dodge the swinging claws, he rushed straight into the unbalanced bulk of the kenyou, through it's front legs and was under the reptilian body in a matter of moments. He gripped the ground the best he could with his risen sandals as he positioned his katana upwards, before thrusting it into the beast's abdomen as deeply as he could. Hearing the monster's shriek of pain he knew that he only had seconds before it decided to flatten him, he started pushing the blade forward, through the rest of the wide stomach with a great deal of his body weight, before emerging back out through the other side a split second before the colossal body crashed down. He jumped out of the way as the thick legs struggled to rise again, and actually succeeded in doing so, allowing the kenyou to wobble away some yards across the field, leaving a trail of oozing, green blood in it's wake. However, it collapsed again before it reached the ring of trees on the other side, and did not move anymore.

Suddenly sapped of all strength, Sasuke fell into a kneeling heap as he coughed into his palm, and withdrawing his hand he saw the red substance staining it with it's dark colour. Sheathing Shibien, he observed the crumpled body of the kenyou, now lying still far away from him. He suddenly experienced a pang in his heart, and reaching up to grasp his chest, he wondered what that may have been for. He sighed, irritated with himself for not finishing this earlier, and instead making a mess of it. If Yukimura was here, he would have been a fool for letting things stretch on so long…

_Yukimura…!_

He jolted back to his sense, and, swaying from the dull ache on his front where the powerful arm had caught him, started back off the way he came. But not without looking up at the sky anxiously first.

_How long have I been…?_

The last beam of sunlight was fast disappearing, and some stars were already in view up in the heavens. The dark blue shade was stretching over the brighter, warmer colours, as Sasuke's face turned to one of horror as he finally realized the amount of time that had passed since he left Yukimura to fight the monster – and had left him alone in the dangerous midst of the forest. He was an idiot, for not considering that other kenyou may have been lurking in the place.

Fright clutching at his heart with their icy fingers, he ran back into the yawning darkness of the trees, hurdling as fast as he could towards his master, fervently praying he was fine.

*****

Yukimura sat back, his flopping head tilted up at the darkening light, or what he could see of them through the branches. Four empty jars, all of which had previously contained sake, lay at his feet in the grass. The samurai had his eyes closed, a look which could only be called peaceful upon his beautiful face, when the sound of a twig cracking under one's weight reached his attentive ears.

He jerked up quickly to find the source of the sound, peering through the gaps between the wide trunks, into the shadowed surroundings. Sure enough, the silhouette of a small, stumbling figure appeared shortly, white hair tousled and arms clutching his middle. Before he could reach the path, Yukimura was up and making his unsteady steps towards the boy.

'Sasuke!'

He looked up, and blinked as his master's rosy, worried face came right up to his, before being gripped into a tight hug which had him bending forwards slightly and Yukimura on his knees on the dusty ground in front of him.

'Yu-Yukimura…sama…'

'You're still saying that?' The annoyed, scolding voice sounded right next to his ear. The young boy shivered as it sent a wave of hot breath at it. 'I've been waiting for you for so long! Are you hurt? Here let me take a look…'

He did not reveal his blush. 'I'm alright, Yukimura-sama. You should not hold me so close, I am rather dirty, and you would spoil your clothes.'

It was only fair in saying so, as he had just romped through leaves, burr, bushes and tree roots, and had carried away bits of twig and foliage on the way. Other than that, his face and own clothes was a mess, the sprays of green blood having rained on him as he cut the beast, and the bright red was still left trickling down from his mouth, some drops of them staining his white top.

He was startled, however, when Yukimura _did _let go of him of the breathless embrace, and start shaking him vigorously with his hands gripping the shinobi's shoulders almost painfully. 'Why are you like this, Sasuke?' he hissed through his teeth. The boy looked up at him with masked eyes, having quickly gotten over the initiate shock and now trying to look simply curious to his master's behaviour. 'Why would you think, that I would not care for your safety more than my _clothes_?'

Sasuke realized he took a wrong turning in his words. 'Ah, Yukimura-sama…I am very sorry. I did not mean it to sound that way – forgive me if I insulted you -'

'Forgive, forgive, forgive!! You are always asking for that! Sasuke, perhaps one of these days I will see light in your actions, as you are always disobeying me and following your own set of rules, and maybe then I will exile you from the land of the Sanada! But,' He stared hard into the emotionless, golden eyes. 'I love you. I won't be able to go on without you. Please, Sasuke – don't leave me again.' With that, his head was buried into the nape of the boy's neck, resting on his shoulder which the firm hands still grasped. The soft breathing of the older man whispered over the smaller's back, and Sasuke's arms, still hanging limply at his side, itched to take the strong, yet sagging body in his arms and hold him towards his chest so hard that he could crush the bones there. But they did not twitch, and instead he heard his own voice talking without his consent to lead it.

'I will never leave you, my lord,' he said quietly, with a blank face. 'My duty is to guard your life, and I have sworn to do so ever since I became a Jyuuyushi. But during an ambush such as this time's, I could not permit myself to keep the danger here with you. In my foolishness, I left you alone for such a long period, a disgrace for a shinobi with a purpose such as mine to be so careless as to depart in a time of utter precaution. I am terribly sorry for that.'

The head reclining on his neck shifted a bit, a lock of dark hair falling to touch Sasuke's chest. He bit his lip, fighting back the urge to touch it, and continued on. 'We are, in all honesty, just tools – while there is no other to replace you, Yukimura-sama, there are plenty for us. Yukimura-sama,' he said sharply, as his master made a slight movement as though he wanted to retort. 'I do not expect for you to understand this, much less accept it. I am merely stating a fact, in hopes that one day, you will find reason enough to-'

But he never finished the sentence, for the next second he found himself lurching back, hitting the grassy ground as the older man's weight pushed him down. He gasped as the sheath of his Shibien, strapped to his back, dug into him as he landed heavily atop it. Arms trapped at his sides, he couldn't push away the lips that came crashing down on his, tongue slipping through the slight breaks in the boy's pink, chapped mouth, ravaging the insides of his cheeks and much farther down. Sasuke cringed when he was forced to open his mouth wider as Yukimura forced in more, splitting one edge of his dry lips as he did. He gave a sort of experimental wiggle underneath the larger body; hands immediately shot up to cup the sides of his face, raising it to press harder against the other man's. The exploration continued – but Sasuke did not budge.

When Yukimura finally pulled away, gasping for air, he too had to gulp some in to refill his smaller, squashed lungs. While he tried to make it as inaudible as he could, he still managed to wheeze out a sentence he hoped would bring his master some sense. 'You- you're drunk, Yukimura-sama…Please, cool your head a little and think of your actions-'

But Yukimura wasn't so relenting. As soon as he had let loose the words, he was pounced on again, his hair grabbed and pulled with such force it jerked his head back with a small crack. Sasuke felt hot, wet muscle slithering down his neck, lapped up again as it reached his chest. 'I'm not drunk, Sasuke,' he breathed up at the small boy, and a waft of sake washed upon him. 'What makes you think that it is alcohol that's leading me to do this, and not my own mind?'

Sasuke flinched as the slender fingers crept up to take hold of the edges of his shirt robe and pulled them apart. The cloth that held his sword, slung around his chest, was also grabbed and pushed upwards to his chin, out of the way of his now bare chest. Sasuke only barely suppressed a shiver as his master set to work on him; his body was betraying himself, his small, perked nipples too hard and erect to be normal. He was only glad that it had not affected his lower regions yet – but it was only a matter of time.

Yukimura was slowly licking his way down towards his stomach, occasionally reaching back up again to tease his nipples, then starting his long, deliberate journey back the descend. The little nubs were sensitive, at every slurp or suck on them Sasuke had to resist twitching. A little nibble and he had to bite the insides of his cheeks to stop squeaking. Perhaps Yukimura had noticed this, for he started to spend much of his concentration in twirling his thick tongue around them, prodding them tantalizingly before resulting in a sudden, sharp bite which had the boy underneath him taking a small intake, almost bleeding at his mouth.

But then he must have gotten tired of all these petty reactions. He started to move lower, and lower, and didn't come up again. Pausing at the little child's belly button, he started to tease it by picking at the smooth skin with his mouth, leaving little marks as he sucked on the drawn blood and licked the tiny scratches.

Sasuke's mind was growing fuzzy, he couldn't stop the twitches he was making. They kept on coming as though on instinct. However, when his master's roaming hands began to fumble with the thin beaded belt that kept his flimsy shorts up, he snapped awake and almost yelled out.

_No…….!!_

It was taunting, and unfair – he couldn't move any of his limbs from the weight, or he could hurt Yukimura by trying – and it was _beautiful_…but he couldn't allow it to continue.

_You cannot move on without the other._

He squeezed his eyes shut, and took deep breaths to steady himself. When the golden orbs opened again, they were glassy, the canopy of leaves reflected in them.

_I am not about to._

Yukimura was busy dipping his tongue into the little navel at his bare stomach, hands working to slip the miniature shorts off, when he sensed something different growing around the boy. He had also stopped moving, in that pleasurable squirming way he had. The man frowned, and cocked his head up to see the boy staring, poker faced, up towards the hidden sky.

'Sasuke…?'

The eyes suddenly rolled down to address him. 'What is it, Yukimura-sama?' he asked, no lust or wanting in his voice. In fact, there was hardly any describable emotion in it, certainly none that Yukimura had expected to hear. 'Why did you stop?'

Yukimura frowned, and shook his head. 'Nothing,' he muttered, and returned to his antics.

'No, you paused for a moment there, Yukimura-sama,' the boy continued, almost conversationally as his master dipped his head lower to try and coax something out of him. 'Why did you? Was I not pleasing you enough? Yukimura-sama, if there's something you want, then all you have to do is ask.'

The movement stopped again, but Yukimura did not lift his head. His dark hair tickled his stomach as it hung around him. 'Don't. Call me. Yukimura-_sama_,' he said through gritted teeth.

'I believe we have utter freedom to call you as we wish,' said Sasuke frostily. 'The others call you with that title, why cannot I-'

He broke off as the other man's teeth broke into his soft skin, but no refreshing wet came to relieve the seeping pain and blood. Yet Sasuke did not stop. 'Why can't you _order_ me, Yukimura-sama?' he asked. Again, it was in that innocent monotone, nothing but simple, nonetheless uncaring, curiosity that came biting at the heart.

Before he could react, a large hand came swinging up at him and struck him on the cheek. Sasuke made no sound, merely closed his eyes at the sting, as he felt his now enraged master picking himself up off of him. He lay quite still, head tilted to one side with the throbbing red staring up, but as soon as his legs and arms were released he turned off from his back to face away from the straightening man, raising himself on one arm as the other subconsciously reached up to gingerly touch the slapped cheek. He stayed like that for a while, before the other man's voice reached him.

'You know very well why,' he said quietly. 'I would not order…something so vulgar of my friend.'

Sasuke's tone was equally low, hardly audible. 'Will you hit your friends, my lord?' he asked.

There was a silence. 'Get up. We need to find shelter and build up a camp. You can go clean that mess off after you find us the needed supplies.'

The boy was already on his feet, the left side of his face still swollen and blotched. His shirt was hurriedly drawn together. 'Yes, Yukimura-sama.'

He might have heard the sound of grinding teeth if he strained his hearing hard enough, but became too preoccupied when Yukimura took his first step forward. The drink was addling his brain, and even one stride got him lurching unsteadily off to the side. Sasuke was immediately beside him, slinging an arm around his own neck, supporting the drunken man. Thankfully Yukimura did not push him away, but instead leant against him with a good deal of his weight on the small boy. Loyally, he did not grumble, but swiftly led his master down the path in search for a good, temporal shelter. The hush between them was frightening, and it rang around the trees surrounding them.

To make things worse, it began raining. Setting his jaw firmly against each other, Sasuke trudged their way through the steadily softening mud.

The good side of it was, Yukimura's mind was too hazy, and the raindrops hitting his face and running down his cheeks almost looked like tears. No one would have noticed if he was really crying.

* * *

Once again, poor Sasuke. These chapters are only making things worse for him, aren't they? I just love doing that *evil laugh*.

I had forgotten about the existence of kenyous. I think they only appeared in the anime, and despite thinking they were cheesy and unoriginal, I couldn't think of any other way to fight Sasuke without involving the Mibu clan (who I try to keep away at all costs).

I was also rewatching episode 24 - the one where Yuki says he turned over to the Mibu, but then came back? I thought it was really sweet when he put off his fight with Kyo to save Sasuke...if only it wasn't for the stupid sound track they put in. I'm like, Orly, where the _beep _did they get that crappy song from? And just when Yukimura catches Sasuke, it goes quiet, and I'm breathing out a sigh of relief, when they end with a last bloody blast of trumpets the next second. Yup, manga's definitely better. (And they make Sasu's eyes too big. Ever noticed that?)

I had to keep reminding myself that this story was not one of explicit content. The after effects of my brain breaking from the last fic I did are still here. Though I'm glad that my fellow YukiSasu fans reviewed it, such kind people.

Waah, noirheart, I'm so sorry that I deleted your review! I didn't mean to! I just wanted to change something in the story, and it went away too! Luckily, I kept the email that FF. net sent me, so I copied and pasted on. I never knew you could review your own story. Anyway, it was such a great review, I couldn't bear letting it go!

Thank you to noirheart, Xunaly and ChainsAndRoses for reviewing! I myself am wondering just how this thing is going to conclude, hahaha...

To those who read and didn't review - REVIEW!! Yes, you. The one sitting at the computer. You have no idea how happy the above three made me.


	3. Fright

Sorry I took so long to update this! I ended up doing nothing, even paper drafts, during the holiday - Hawaii and Japan was a bit lazy for me. (I ended up doing a draft of a drawing in which Yukimura was pushing Sasuke onto a bed...Ehehehe.) But I've started plenty of other stories! And will appreciate it lots if people read and REVIEW.

Do I have to go through everything again? We all know that SDK would have turned into a yaoi manga with loads of smutty action in between pathetic fights with no actual story line if I owned it. So read on!

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_Drip…drip…_

The raindrops sparkled in the white, morning light, as they slid down the smooth surface of the lush, green leaves, gathering, and falling through the air in between the short distance towards the wet rock beneath, shattering into a thousand particles as it hit the bare surface. The area was secretly filled with the small, barely audible splashes of the teardrop water, the milieu a refreshing, cool sight for sore eyes, especially after a weeks worth of drinking out of depression.

The tinkling resonance of wet on solids was covered, however, by the gentle rushing of the nearby river. It was usually not quite a big one, large enough to be discounted as a stream, but yet still not to be outsized by those with known names. Today, on the contrary, it was a busy, hastening ribbon of blue with swirling brown and frothy white, water occasionally lapping up against the edges of the banks. The previous day's rainfall had gotten it to rise in amounts of discharge, and a few leaves and branches floated past, carried away as the river had heightened twice more than it's normal depth.

Leaves and grass dipped, an sprang up again as each weight running down it's side released it's hold, and dropped, pinging against soil, wood, stone. As mentioned, the tiny noise made hardly any difference to the atmosphere, but to those who _could _hear them, it was a rhythmic beat that sounded everywhere, their sources countless.

_Drip…drip…_

Heavy lidded eyes started to lift, vision blurred and unable to comprehend anything clearly. Dark orbs swam sleepily around their confinement, before settling and steadily adjusting, focusing. Yukimura groaned as last night's headache caught up with him, and squeezed his eyes shut again to get rid of the pounding. After waiting a while, he released his pressure on them, and tried once more to realize his surroundings.

He was looking up at a hard, grey ceiling. It's rocky surface and tough demeanor told him immediately he had been resting under a shelter of stone. Sure enough, if he took a moment to look around, he found that it was a small cave with a low slung roof; he'd have to be careful not to raise himself too high without risking a sharp crack on the temple. He also discovered one more, perplexing subject of momentary confusion. His body was, apart from the weariness of yesterday's excessive drinking, feeling very heavy, as though something had been loaded up on top of him for a long period of time.

Again, it didn't take Yukimura long to figure out why this was so. A number of ragged, graying cloths had been swept over him, burying him under their weight and essentially cuddling him with their warmth and comfort. The blankets were old and thin, yet with the amount piled on him, it was efficient in keeping him cosy throughout the chilling, stormy night. He struggled out of the bundled state he had been in, muscles aching, to find some of his clothes sticking on him still. It seemed that they had not dried off completely during the night.

Near the mouth of the cave he noticed a charcoal black heap of some undeterminable object cluttered together. Getting closer, he realized it was the after remnants of a small fire. The flame had long since gone out, and even the smoke had risen into nothingness over the hours. Taking another, careful sweep of his surroundings, Yukimura spotted his weapon, possessions and jars of sake sitting in one corner of the little cavern. He glanced down again, realizing that he was still clasping the blankets.

Touching it, with a wondering expression flitting across his face, he came to track down his rather befuddled memory lane in search of one, clear answer. It didn't come as a shock at first, but eventually he started thinking intelligibly, and a boyish, yet charming face swam into his mind over a sea of disorientation.

…_Sasuke…_

Of course it had been him who had covered his master with what warmth he had. It had been him who had built him a fire, using what dry wood he could scourge in the midst of a downpour. It had been him who had carried his slacking, inconceivably drunk master across the mud and trees, searching desperately for one dry spot to lay him down in. All on his orders from the previous night.

He had been too harsh. He had not even been aware of what he was doing. As an adult, this type of irresponsibility was unacceptable. He had acted, and talked rashly, and the result was that he had collapsed from the unwarranted consuming of alcohol like a fat, rich, bastard aristocrat pampered with sweets and gold.

For some reason, Yukimura lifted his right hand to stare at it. Why was it, that as he gazed at the well known palm lines, a sense of intense guilt flowed up over him? He couldn't shake the feeling that he had done something painfully wrong, and could only remember that it had hurt…

An image of a young boy, sprawled on the ground, blank, staring eyes covered by his flaying fringe as his head twisted to one side from some kind of impact, swam up to meet the surface of his mind. And another, this time of the same small figure, kneeling on the dirty ground with his feet beside him, eyes once again shadowed, light fingers stroking the blotched side of his face as the angry red gleamed up at him…

Yukimura felt the jolt as though someone had dumped a bucket of icy water over him. His brain had been muffled of it's cries, and the warning signals had not reached him fast enough. It was already too late to stop his hand from lashing out, in the spurt of unbidden rage, and the damage had already been done. His servant had already taken the hit.

He scrambled out as quickly as he could, ducking past the narrow opening of the hole in the wall made of rock, stumbling clumsily in the sudden dizziness once he had gotten himself free. He had a much better view of the scenery before him now, but while the fresh greenery and granite formation did not interest him, the fierce creek, almost overflowing it's banks, caught much of his attention.

Or rather, it was the objects he spotted down one end of it. Even from the short distance, he could see that it was a bundle of clothes.

And on further inspection, he confirmed they were Sasuke's.

They were hanging, limp, from a sturdy tree someway apart from the river. In three quick strides Yukimura was beside the low branches, yanking off the neatly draped garments off of them. They were the child's, alright. The white shirt with the khaki-like patterned strip gracing the front. The tiny black socks, tucked up neatly with the geta shoes that had been sitting atop of the tree limb, nicely balanced. Even his shorts were there, looking impossibly short that it was a wonder it still barely managed to cover the small boy's bum.

Erotic thoughts aside, Yukimura noticed something else upon closer examination. They were all, in one way or another, flecked with something green. He bit his lip, searching for an explanation to this. Was it some kind of dye from the grass? Had the boy squirted some fruit juice as he bit into something at lunch? When had he done that?

Yukimura tried to recall anything that may have caused the curious miniscule, yet worryingly noticeable specks. Had it been like this since yesterday?

It was all a deep haze, as he had drowned himself in sake only hours after Sasuke had left him to battle the threat. But there was something…a little thing that provoked him to unsettle Sasuke, and caused him to harm the young boy…

He shivered in self disgust as the images from before hit him with all the force of a hurricane. Sasuke couldn't disobey him, nor counter attack him. But he didn't ridicule his master, or say anything to help him realize his actions before it was too late. Was it because he thought it would be useless since Yukimura was so drunk at the time being, or because he considered taking the punishment as part of the job?

Whatever his reason was, the older man wouldn't accept it easily. He would always listen to Sasuke, so long as he addressed him _normally _again.

He had been in such a dirty state then. Well, it was only to be anticipated – the shinobi's flight across the woods had been rough and rapid, and at the speed he was going it was a wonder the boy didn't bang into a particularly thick tree trunk and pass out in thin air. As an excellent subordinate of the Sanada, it was to be foreseen that he wouldn't, but Yukimura being Yukimura, his worries never ceased when it consisted of the small ninja.

Ah, yes. The green marks _had _been there. Sasuke had warned against "spoiling his clothes" if he got too close in embracing. That had been the trigger to his drowsy, easily irritable mind. He also recalled, in between freshly arising, shameful memories, that the colour was most definitely from the monster's blood. Yukimura had, while chugging jar after jar of the powerful alcohol, spent his time waiting for Sasuke to come back to his welcoming arms by staring at what life he could find around the steadily darkening, drab place, as well as the trickle of fascinatingly green liquid that the beast had left in it's wake, dripping from the slash Sasuke had given at it's forehead.

So, as long as the monster's blood wasn't poisonous, acidic, or harmful in any way without direct contact, then Sasuke should be fine. If Yukimura knew where he was at that moment, that is.

He glanced at the trundling river, suddenly worried. Sasuke's black undershirt and Shibien were nowhere to be found, so at least that meant the child wasn't walking around stark naked and unprotected. However, leaving all his clothing just hanging here, not about to dry from the amount of rain that had thundered upon them yesterday, meant he was, in someway, near the river or other water source. Perhaps he had gone to find them some food, but they still had some of the dried fish they bought from the inn, and it would be more logical to go hunting in the forest rather than trying to catch plankton in the swiftly flowing river. It was more than likely he had gone to bathe – Yukimura seemed to have a feeling he had ordered something along those lines the other day, and his heart skipped a beat when he contemplated that the fact Sasuke was missing could be his fault – but while the water had little lag time before letting all the effects of the storm wash towards the open sea eventually, it was still in torrents, too fast for Yukimura's liking.

To just emphasise this point there was a loud, creaking sound just on the other side of the bank. The water had eroded away the soft soil near it, usually untouched due to the gentler passage of the rivulet, and a tree, much like the one Sasuke's attire had been hung on, was about to be dislodged as even more dirt gave way to the rippling brook. As Yukimura watched, the groan of the tree roots grew louder, longer, till it finally toppled, hitting the hectic surface with a gigantic splash that sent droplets spraying Yukimura's shocked face. It was swiftly carried away, soon reaching a distance of several metres from it's original point, before making sharp contact with a protruding rock half sunk in the water, smashing into splinters as it hit the hard solid, full speed, head on.

If it had been a person, short enough to be from waist to chest deep in the rapids, the broken tree could have easily carried them away down the arroyo in the desolate forest. If the person was light, was no match against the heavy trunk or branches and had no means of moving in the gush of the river, then he could be easily knocked about, felled unconscious and drown.

The fisted clothes fell from his grip, as Yukimura looked up and down the river frantically, shouting for his missing shinobi.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, where are you?"

His yells went unheard to whoever may have been near, the sounds of the river charging past as well as the noise of the wreckage it caused and carried drowning them with their own sloshes and splashes. Yukimura tried to keep the panic held down, desperately pressing against the desire to run around like a headless chicken, walking off a short way from the tree and cave in even paces, though the urgent look never left his creased, agonized face.

There were no responses to any of his calls. The fretting feeling extremely close to overtaking his milling mind, Yukimura cried out his loudest plea yet, hoping for his precious ninja to notice and come flying through whatever obstacles to get back to him.

"…Sasuke!!!"

"Yukimura-sama?"

The older man swiveled around, the sound of the high, enquiring voice clearing the clouds of his mind. There, standing puzzled and concerned, was Sasuke, dripping with water from head to toe. One hand gripped his sword tightly, cocked in preparation for any sign of a fight. The other pulled on the only garment he was wearing, the black shirt, trying to stretch it to cover the most exposed parts of his body. A blush was starting to creep on his features, but he played things at a low key for now, not quite understanding what his master wanted with him.

"Sasu…ke…?" A rush of relief caught up with him, and he started towards the confused shinobi. He, in turn, had opened his mouth to form his own question.

"Yukimura-sama, what happened? Why were you shouti –"

He was silenced by his master strolling forward, flinging arms around his exposed neck. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, the urge to return the embrace quickly suppressed as he took in the scent of Yukimura's floating, feather light hair.

The arms around him tightened once, muscles tensing as they rested upon the thin shoulders, before relinquishing their hold abruptly and to genuine surprise. Yukimura looked down upon him, dark blue swimming as he gaze caught his full attention.

"Oh, Sasuke….please, don't go off like that again…." His tone was pleading, begging, and the helplessness of it all took Sasuke aback for a fraction of a second. His composure was hardly shaken on the outside, however, and the answer was delivered smoothly and only with the slightest of hesitations.

"…I apologize, Yukimura-sama…"

"What were you _doing,_ Sasuke? Why are you…"

His answer was soft and coaxing. "I had to get rid of the grime from yesterday. Remember? I had to make myself as presentable as I could for you. I was a mess last night. Yukimura-sama must have been exhausted, though. You had barely eaten dinner before you rested. I was not sure how long you were going to stay like that in the morning, and last night's weather was, as you know, very bad, so I had no choice but to stay in the dirty way I was last night. The river increased in volume due to the rain, and a great deal of sediment had been carried over here, so I had made to clean myself at this waterfall upstream. It fared slightly better."

"…Is that so?..."

He made no comments on the strained politeness which he had been _so _tolerant of for the past couple of days. Nor did he ridicule the way Sasuke degraded himself, almost as though he had gotten used to it.

Sasuke was starting to worry for his master's health.

"Yukimura-sama? You have not caught a cold, have you? I'm afraid that you had to sleep in wet clothes last night – excuse me for my thoughtlessness, but there was little I could do."

"…I just want to know…did you wrap yourself up in blankets like you did to me, Sasuke?" he probed, anxiety and dread increasing again. "Did you keep yourself warm?"

A short silence followed his enquiry. It seemed as though Sasuke was weighing up what would be the best answer to give.

"I have more resistance to colds than normal people, Yukimura-sama. There is no need to worry yourself over me."

"Sasuke…"

The tender look in his eye had not disappeared, or once faltered, but Sasuke kept his head held low and eyes to the ground. He refused to raise his gaze, or step closer to his master. But as Yukimura moved his hand to make to tilt his line of sight gently up, the small boy before him made a sudden, jerked movement. Yukimura's eyes widened, as he watched Sasuke try to cover his flinch with a stillness that meant his breath was being held. His authorative side took over his own initial shock.

"Sasuke, look at me."

Smoothly and without noticeable hesitance, the young shinobi obliged. His strong golden eyes met his master's piercing dark ones, not once straying away. But it was to take more than that to fool Sanada Yukimura.

They held strength, but even that was losing much of it's edge it once used to carry. Though they didn't waver, the unwillingness hidden well, but it was clear that the alarm had had it's effect on the boy's mind. Yukimura had seen this in many of his fight opponents, the thin layer of bravery coating their true emotions swimming in their mind, heightened alertness, an averse spirit, and _fright_.

His Sasuke was afraid of him.

Yukimura could see all of this inside the boy's staring gaze, and the confirmation of it all numbed his brain to the stun. Why would Sasuke fear him? Is it because from yesterday? He hadn't meant to…but he did. Yes, Sasuke wanted to be far apart from him now, possibly want to have nothing to do with him if he wasn't a Jyuyuushi, Ignorance, he could handle. Hate, even better. He'd been on receiving ends of both anyway. But what would his world have come to if the person he loved most in his life, the person he had entrusted so much with, grew afraid of him? He had believed Sasuke to have stood beside him strongest, always; while his trust may not shake away, what would be the point if he refused to stray any closer to him?

"Yukimura…sama…"

He blinked, to find that Sasuke had finally broken eye contact, and was now wincing, struggling a little in pain of something. Yukimura immediately realized it was the pressure of his own large hand, having unconsciously crept up to the young boy's thin, bare shoulders, was putting on the small frame, grasping him tightly. It must have been quite a toll for someone who could be suffering from muscle pain, from the fight he had yesterday. But for some reason, Yukimura didn't want to let go.

_Why…I don't want this to stop…_

His clench tightened suddenly, and Sasuke cried out sharply; yet even the trill of his voice couldn't reach Yukimura's ears. He could hear his own blood rushing through his body, as he watched the little shinobi squirm as slightly as he could in the gripping hurt, trying to alert his master of the discomfort he was giving. The clean nails dug into the boy's skin, creating red marks to be seen later on his back, and Sasuke bit his bottom lip to stop the whimper from escaping. The hand was grabbing harder and harder, the vice like grip giving no prospect of releasing, but Sasuke would not pull away or slap his master's hand. He stayed in pained submission, calling to Yukimura's common sense and desperately trying to get through to the stone faced man standing over him.

To Yukimura, it was only like watching a scenario unfold in front of his eyes, without sound or words. The boy in front of him was hurting, but there was nothing that he could do to stop it – nothing that he could do about the grasp on him, but whose hand is that…? He couldn't step away, or let go; it would take too much willpower to let go of the sweet being he had once embraced so softly, not now when it's trying to fly away again…

It was only when he caught sight of Sasuke's finally lifted eyes, those golden globes that saw through his own weakness. Pleading, begging to be released, the fear and hurt now agonizingly clear. If being together meant that they would both suffer, then he must choose…

And he awoke, from the strange, obsessive trance that had taken over his mind and body. His hand sprang loose, liberating Sasuke from it's grip. But Yukimura didn't miss the boy's other hand jolting upwards for a moment, only restrained by Sasuke's own wishes to soothe the aching part. Knowing his stubbornness in these shows of frailty, Yukimura knelt down himself to lay his hand on the marked spot, tenderly this time, and rubbing it slowly. Seeing Sasuke wince, and obviously resisting the urge to shy away like a poor, wounded animal still struggling to trust, Yukimura's heart gave a wrench and he bitterly regretted his callous actions.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry." As though apologizing will make up for his actions, which were only made to injure.

"…I'm fine, Yukimura-sama. It's nothing much."

"Nothing much? Sasuke, I could have broken your bones! You should have stopped me…" He faltered, voice fading away before he could end the sentence.

"Yukimura-sama?" The boy peered anxiously up into his master's face.

"No…I should have stopped myself. I-I don't know what came over me Sasuke, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I'm alright, Yukimura-sama."

"It looks like it will bruise!" His voice filled with panic and culpability. "Do you want something cold over that, Sasuke?"

"No, thank you. It really is nothing, please stop worrying. Now, if you excuse me, I need to get my clothes."

His cool reply threw Yukimura off, although he knew that his request to help would have been repelled anyway. Yukimura knew what the final tone meant, and there wasn't much he could do after that.

"Sasuke…yes, I don't want you to catch your death on top of everything."

He watched as Sasuke shuffled past him, reaching for the set of clothes laid crumpled on the ground, shaking them over once to rid them of dirt. Yukimura saw his face stiffen slightly as he raised his arms to do so, obviously covering for the contortion he would have made if left alone. The young boy did not complain, or even ask how all his clothes happened to be on the ground. Tucking them under his frail arm, he made for the depth of the cave beside them to change. The other man followed, still worried for his shinobi's well being and the injury he had caused.

_I have to choose…_

"Sasuke?" He called softly to the little figure kneeling away from him, slipping on his shirt.

"Yes, Yukimura-sama?"

"…Don't you love me?"

The childish question brought back the shadowed paths of the brightly red coloured town, as the skies matched it's colour and reflected dark on the clouds. Sasuke took a while in answering, and the cave was filled with silence till his definite, sure answer came reverberating through the narrow cave entrance back to his waiting master.

"No."

It was short, but it was enough for Yukimura to satisfy himself with for that day. The stake driven into his heart dug even deeper, and he didn't know how to handle himself after this. Surprisingly, the knowledge of Sasuke's true feelings was not too much of a shock after mere seconds of hearing it. Instead, it tidied a lot of things on his mind. Yukimura turned away from the mouth of the rock shelter, sighing.

"…I see. Then, I'm sorry Sasuke. I don't – I don't want to hurt you any more."

There was no answer from the other side.

"You don't like it when I get close to you now, do you?"

The yawning darkness he peered into was all the response he needed.

"I won't try to touch you again. Promise."

If it had hurt him so much just to make contact with his master, then he would have to respect that. He couldn't imagine Sasuke's face right now, but it was discomfort to think of the expression on it as relief.

The voice that sounded had no change in emotions. "Are you so sure that you can keep that promise, though?"

Yukimura made no reply, and walked silently away from the boy. Sitting at the edge of the flowing river, he made to ponder, to keep his minds off things.

However, the first thought that came into mind wasn't much of an assistance to this.

……_Am I losing this battle.......?_

* * *

Okay. So we've got more Sasuke hurting and OOC Yukimura under my feeble control. Gee, I bet we're all just wondering when they're gonna learn.

I'm betting you people know Junjou Romantica? At the moment, I'm worshipping it for being the cutest yaoi anime/manga I have ever seen. A friend gave me some recommendations when I told her I was bored, and JR was right up there on her list. Gives me some material to work on, plus extra entertainment when I'm daydreaming in class.

I wonder what my favourite pairing is. Usagi-san/Misaki (when I first heard his voice, I'm like, OMG IT'S YUURI!!!) is obviously the main pairing in the series, and everything and everyone else revolves around them, and they're really funny. Miyagi/Shinobu I consider a minor, although the story is so brilliant I'm more than willing to cheer them on with their relationship. However, I guess it's Kamijyo/Nowaki that conquers most areas. THEY ARE SO CUTE. Nowaki is COOOLIE, and Hiro-san is the perfect type to get jealous easily! Awww, I just love watching over them as they face and overcome all sorts of weird relationship problems~

I guess that's it for now. LET'S ALL SUPPORT YAOI. As usual, R&R!


	4. Red Light District

Heeey. Today was my dog's birthday! He's eight!

Although when I post this it'll probably be a day or two late already…

I guess that's it.

**Disclaimer**: We all know nobody reads this thing anymore.

Enjoy!

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For both Sasuke and Yukimura, the next few days were spent in uneasy awkwardness. When Yukimura had promised "not to touch Sasuke", he didn't just mean it in a sexual way – he didn't touch him period. Beside the campfire, he would drink and joke about as usual, laughing at his own stories even if Sasuke did nothing apart from it there politely, never answering without being asked. However, if he was to hand Sasuke something, or to stand by him for some reason, there was absolutely no direct contact. The object passed from between their hands will either be on the tip of his fingers, or even travelling through the air. A good distance was kept between them at all times, at any time, and if the young boy had moved to a place where Yukimura was destined to go, the man would always put it off, or take a different route to reach it.

This suited Sasuke just fine. Since they were journeying through the thick woods by themselves, he was obliged to keep an eye on their ever decreasing food supply. The shinobi frequently went out onto short hunting trips, although of course only when convinced that nothing was to attack his master. While he never strayed far, and came back as quickly as possible, this time alone was well needed and used for him to breathe easily, and openly worry over his injuries he kept hidden from Yukimura.

Sasuke grazed his slender fingers across the swell on his shoulder, wincing as the soft touch sent a spark of pain through his upper body. The small, yet deep marks Yukimura's nails had left etched over the reddening skin, becoming even more evident as he soaked water from a small stream over it. Sighing, Sasuke looked at his expressionless reflection in the running water. He dearly wished to keep something cold over it for the whole day, but with Yukimura alongside him, it would be impossible to keep the damage concealed from him. The wounds from the fight with the monster had healed externally, and there had been no noticeable irregularity in his digestive and excretory system from what he could fathom. If there were any, he would have to take things seriously and watch for internal bleeding, or soreness in his organs.

Yet all seemed to be well and good there. His shoulder stung from the slight pressure he put into it as he picked himself up from his squat. But Sasuke ignored it, being the master of masks now.

The next second, the landscape was void of any human being, a few leaves fluttering to the ground and creating ripples in the water as the only shadow of the small ninja ever being there.

They made it out of the forest without much trouble. A famished squirrel had attacked their camp late one night, but it ended up staying for breakfast – courtesy of Sasuke, his knives and a strong sense of survival need to gather as much food as possible. Deep inside his mind, he couldn't help but wonder why Yukimura will resist eating the plenty insects found anywhere, which can offer a good range of vitamins and minerals, but be more than happy to have a taste of the once furry and cute (and vicious) mammal served with berries they had found near the path the day before.

It wasn't long until they reached a town, but this one was much different to the one they had stayed at before. They had strayed off the dirt path they had been following for what seemed like an eternity – it had melted into a meadow of long grass and buttercups, leading them to wander aimlessly for the next couple of hours. They found it easily enough in the dark, however, as the gleaming lights from the night shops and lanterns of service stores broke through the dimness of the evening, eventually sending them on the right track again. It was actually very large, a popular attraction in the particular district. Young adults laughed and danced through the bright streets of it during twilight, although curfew prevented them from staying out any longer in these dangerous times.

For _adult _adults, it was very different.

Girls with protruding breasts and faces with heavy make up giggled and beckoned drooling, old men along the red light district. Fights often broke out among drunkards, resulting with them both rolling around in the gutters filled to the brim with vomit, urine, and…other foul substances. Gamblers strolled from bar to bar, crying or jeering or cursing profusely. Goods worthy of the black market were displayed by gypsies on the street grounds, a variety of sort such as black magic, weaponry, drugs and jewels the most perceptible. It was almost like a miniature, nighttime Edo.

And, obviously, it was only a matter of time before Genjirou and his trusty unnamed page made a stop at the unavoidable brothel of half a million ryo.

"Genjirou-sama~ would you like more sake?"

"Ahan! You naughty man, don't touch me there-ah!"

"I'm here for you too, Genjirou-sama~ Don't ignore me~!"

"Ahahaha, you ladies will have to learn to wait your turn! If I have all these pretties crowding around me, I won't know which way to turn!"

The large rugby huddle took quite a lot of space of the room, with the chortling, giddy man as the centre with half covered (or half revealed, whichever way you may want to take it), tittering women grabbing at him from all sides. About five or so prostitutes surrounded Genjirou, one holding up a sake bottle and cup, letting him drink off of it and intoxicating him even more. The loud laughter filled the area, reaching the acute ears of Sarutobi Sasuke, as he was sitting a considerable distance away from the group hug.

He ignored the noise completely, only staring into space with a blank look indifferent to the fuss next to him. Before, Sasuke had been extremely riled with the familiarity Yukimura showed towards the women in brothels such as this one. His master will observe his steamed up stature for an hour or so, before sending the prostitutes out with their money and starting the fun with the bad tempered, trembling boy he had kept waiting right there in his fury. Now, the ninja sat as patiently as a well trained Labrador, watching calmly as Genjirou fiddled with swinging nipples and squeezed little bottoms with his large hands.

An anxious new girl, too young and low ranked to help serve customers, entered the room and spotted Sasuke sitting in the corner. She had only come to replace any empty bottles or snacks but, feeling some level of pity for the lone boy, made her way over to him. Smiling gently, she squatted in front of him and pushed a packet of crackers towards him.

"You must be bored, poor boy," she said quietly. "You can always come downstairs with me, you know, you don't have to watch your father play with–"

She was cut off by two pairs of golden eyes whipping towards her, puckered into the fiercest frown the devil could make. The girl gave a shriek and stumbled back; the sudden interruption making the merry crowd pause in their fun and causing them to look over at her.

Sasuke spoke in the following silence.

"He's not my father."

Not missing a beat, one of the women hanging on Yukimura's garments scoffed.

"Well, of course he isn't, Yumiko," she said scornfully. "Why are you even talking to him? He's paid for and put to work, as a slave to this gentleman here!" She nuzzled Yukimura's shoulder, but he did not acknowledge her or attempt to shift the look of displeasure from his face.

The expression unnerved Sasuke. Did he do something wrong? How was he supposed to know the girl would be easy to frighten? Yet the claws of cold fire bit at his heart when the older woman said those words. He was no slave. He was the strongest of the Jyuuyushi, life devoted to protect their master, Sanada Saemonnosuke Yukimura. So why didn't Yukimura say something to put justice to his name? Why was he staring at the boy like that?

Meanwhile, the girl was stammering. "I…I didn't…"

"It's okay, Yumiko-chan," Genjirou finally spoke, assuring her with a warm smile that did not reach his eyes. "It's not your fault. He's just in a bit of a foul mood today, aren't you?" His dark orbs had never left Sasuke's troubled face.

For a moment, Sasuke considered rebelling. "I – Yes," he said dully. "I'm sorry."

The realization of his current situation rolled off the disbelief to why Yukimura had not corrected the woman. In the second, caught up in his own thoughts, he had forgotten they were in the middle of a fight against each other, and had imagined that Yukimura was simply watching his reactions as he himself fooled around, like always.

Confused at if he was addressing her or the customer, Yumiko looked around, bewildered. However, Yukimura had no doubt to which the apology was aimed at. "Good," he said, nodding. "Now, you seemed to have been a bit bored there by yourself," A few sniggers rose from a couple of women. "So why don't I get you occupied with an errand?"

He rustled in his kimono sleeve, bringing up a brown deerskin bag. Inside it, coins tinkled and clinked together. Yukimura tossed it up over the heads of women, their eyes following it as it sailed through the air, and the bag of coins landed neatly in Sasuke's folded lap. "Go buy some side dishes to go with the rice wine," Genjirou ordered. "I trust you will make do with haste."

"If it's side dishes, we can supply you –" Yumiko started.

"Oh, he needs something to do," Yukimura smiled. "Go on, then," he added to Sasuke.

Bag clasped in one hand, Sasuke bowed to him. "I will be back shortly," he murmured, and with that, got up and slipped out of the room, leaving his master with the fawning women.

Outside in the darkened streets, Sasuke was bumped around and jostled by the rushing crowd going this way and that. Growling in frustration at how he couldn't be taller than he was, as everyone seemed not to notice his existence underneath their feet until they heard the angered yelp of toe-trodded pain, he pushed himself through the babble of people towards the sides of the road, making sure to keep a good grasp of the money bag inside his pockets. No sooner had he reached the black walls beside the busy road, however, was he grabbed around the wrists by a rough, large hand.

He blinked in slight alarm. "Wha–"

The man, a burly, smelly one at that, took the chance of his momentary hesitation and opened mouth to push the small boy up against the gritty wall and force his tongue through the little pink cavern. Sasuke yelled into the sloppy kiss, his eyes almost rolling back as he inhaled the stench of day old rice and too much alcohol. He winced, then, a spurt of pain shooting up his injured arm as it was pulled too hard. He wasn't one to be taken by shock so easily, however, and did his best to bite the stranger's tongue, while lifting his thin legs up swiftly to attack the groin.

The molester leapt away, grunting. He hit someone behind him passing by, and while he was busy commencing a glaring match with them, Sasuke contemplated running away into the milling crowd, or hanging back to give the rude man a piece of his mind.

Unfortunately the man was done with his business much sooner than Sasuke had expected. Before he could make up his mind, two thick, tanned arms had planted themselves deep within the wall on either side of him.

"You ain't too bad, kid," the man purred, leaning all over Sasuke and grinning to show his all his yellow teeth. "What do you say to coming round to my place tonight, and I'll pay you a few hundred ryo?"

"Not interested," Sasuke snarled, glowering at the man to make him back off. "I'm not some dirty prostitute."

The man chuckled. "With all that flesh showing out, you can't blame me for mistaking you as one." He lowered one hand to let it slither up Sasuke's leg, to his thigh, the inside of which he grabbed with piercing force. "I bet you can do with some extra money, though, huh?" he hissed as he watched the young boy gasp and squirm in discomfort.

"Let _go_ of me!" Sasuke cried, clutching the hand and jerking it off. No one in the streets turned to look – obviously they were used to this kind of thing.

Lowering his face next to Sasuke's ear, the man never faltered in his sneer and let loose hot breath down the child's neck. "I _like _feisty boys, you know," he breathed, tongue flicking out to lick his victim's earlobe. Sasuke shuddered – that had been _inside_ him!? "Will you take me up if I offered you a permanent customer?"

"I told you I'm _not _a slut!" the shinobi yelled, desperately forcing his arms to work as he put them defensively between the man's chest and himself. A horrible familiarity washed over him as the man pressed up against Sasuke, forcing him back against the walls….

"You're mighty pretty for that," the man slurred, raising his fingers to grip and pull at the boy's chin. "Or, are you already owned by somebody else?" he joked with a mocking leer. His hand rose even more, to yank at the soft, feathery hair and wrenched Sasuke's head up even more.

Instantly, the flame which had been lying low at the bottom of Sasuke's stomach rose up, fury possessing him and giving his shaking, weak limbs strength. The burning fire reached his golden eyes, and his fist shot up, not even taking a second to come in contact with the man's jaw.

There came the howl of pain, and this time people _did _look up – only to catch sight of a great man screaming bloody murder and clutching at his bleeding face. If they had turned quickly enough, they may have been lucky to have spotted a flash of white disappearing within the mass of night-goers.

Sasuke didn't stop shoving, running, gasping until he came to a fairly deserted area, lamps lit bright and only about twenty people present in the wide tiled road. He leant against an innocent looking shop post to catch his breath, but all the while looking around to check if the pervert was following him for revenge, or if there were any more of his kind stalking him. He had caught a few curious gazes, but all seemed disinterested in chatting him up in the worst manner. Reaching into his pockets, Sasuke let out a sigh of relief as he discovered that the bag of coins was still safe within them. At least he hadn't messed up on Yukimura's orders.

_Yukimura…_ Sasuke started walking, keeping to the shadows to not attract any more attention. It had been a while, but his master had once done the exact same thing as the person just now. The funny thing was, Sasuke was never disgusted at the actions; he could be embarrassed, or angered, or for the most aroused and excited, but never as sick as he had felt when the strange man had treated him not ten minutes ago. Now, he felt as though he could throw his guts out just at the memory of the man touching, and kissing him.

The sake shop was open and surprisingly devoid of any loud, noticeable customers. The owner was a decent man, years into the business, and absolutely refused to sell alcohol to underaged children. Nevertheless he still had his share of young pages running errands for their lords, and handed the sakizuke of cockles over the counter without a second glance. Wishing Sasuke a good and safe night, he occupied himself with work as the small, silent boy slipped through the narrow doorway and back out into the night.

No incidents met him as he returned to the brothel, perhaps mostly because he turned to roof hopping this time to get back. Sasuke was done getting harassed, much less in the sexual way, by total strangers on the streets asking if he'd like to follow them back home. He counted himself lucky, in this red light district, that he wasn't raped there and then.

Yumiko was at the counter when he got back to the brothel. She started when he came in, looking as sullen as he did when he left.

"We – welcome back," she smiled politely, timidly.

Sasuke looked at her, noticing how she flinched under his gaze. However, it may have been from the rash happenings outside addling his brains, but he returned a small smile tiredly.

"Yeah. I'm back." Ignoring the startled girl's blush, he kept right on walking, reaching the stairs leading to the second floor. Suddenly, with one foot on the first step, he looked back, his eyes fixed on the ground as he addressed the only other person in the landing. "A girl like you shouldn't be in a place like this," he told Yumiko abruptly. The small boy continued on as she blinked, bewildered. "Look, I don't care if you have family to take care of or debts to settle, but trust me, you're better off starving than working in this kind of area."

Sasuke plucked up the courage to peek at the girl's face, only to find her smiling tearfully. "Thank you," she murmured, wiping at her eyes with the hem of her kimono sleeve. The soft black orbs never left the young shinobi's face.

"Well, uh. Yeah," he muttered, turning back to climb the stairs. He hadn't meant to make her cry!

But when the girl's voice sounded behind him again, they were light and happy. "I mean it. Thank you. And you know," Yumiko continued earnestly, not caring if the boy was frozen in his steps, his back to her. "I can tell that you aren't that gentleman's slave. He cares about you too much! He didn't even talk to the women after you left," she was babbling, but was desperate to get her point across to encourage the child petrified on the stairs. "So, um, I don't know what happened, but I can tell you two are really close. Please, I hope that everything will be alright!"

Sasuke resumed the tedious climbing. "We'll see," he only called over his shoulder, voice weary. Leaving the young girl staring at his small back as it disappeared over the steps.

His socked feet padded soundlessly across the smooth wooden floor. Yukimura and him? Close? No, not anymore. The girl was let her imagination run too much about simple things she'd conveniently noticed that could mean nothing at all. If she was educated, and had left the town ages ago, she could have been a successful writer.

Sasuke reached the room that he had left his master in, the fusuma door slid tightly closed. Sinking to a kneel before the corridor wall just next to the door, he called out before opening it.

"Genjirou-sama? I'm back with the goods you requested."

A sound from inside made his ears perk up. It was throaty, and low…and panting.

"Ah, oh please…Genjirou-sama…"

"Shh, you have to keep it quiet or he'll hear you."

"But, ah! Aahn, Genjirou…"

"My, my…already on first name basis, now, are we?"

"Yah! Aah, ah, mmn…"

Sasuke's heart was thudding in his ears as the noise sank into a silence. Yukimura was doing it? Again? He screwed his eyes shut to wipe the anger blank from his mind. Stay clam. Don't do anything foolish. There was no longer anything going on between them, so Yukimura could do anything with anyone without having to have him hanging around!

He almost jumped as the door suddenly slid open. The woman who had referred to him as Yukimura's 'slave' before stood there, cheeks flushed and eyes burning.

"Why did you have to come like that, you stupid child?" she hissed malevolently. Sasuke raised his eyebrows coolly. "Never disturb us again!" With that, she hurried off, Sasuke eyeing her back dryly and taking note of her rather tidy appearance. Shrugging, he stood and walked into the room where his master was waiting, kneeling once again to slide the door shut before appraising the room.

The windows shut to keep the cold night air out, Yukimura sat alone underneath them, calmly sipping his cup of sake with his usual nonchalant smile. "Ah, Sasuke," he greeted the boy pleasantly. "Did you get what I asked for?"

Wordlessly, Sasuke handed him a neatly wrapped box containing the pricy goods. "Excellent, now we can really get started," Yukimura smiled, humming as he started undoing the pretty knot placed pertly atop of the package.

Sasuke took up his place a little way off from the window, still standing. "That was a very dirty trick, Yukimura-sama," he said curtly.

Yukimura did not look up from his prize. "I'm not at all surprised that you know about it," he conversed lightly. "You've been on the receiving end of it many times, when you were the one under me, haven't you?"

The ninja fought off the creeping heat off his face. "You know perfectly well what I am talking about. That woman was clutching a very large fistful of cash under her robes."

"What are you trying to imply, Sasuke?"

Sasuke sighed at the little games he must play along with to get a straight answer – or rather, admittance. "You paid her to make those noises for you," he insisted. The sheer childishness of it all was drilling into his mind. "Is this some kind of joke?"

His master's answer was as dubious as always. "Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, she could've gotten that cash from anyone. Not that I'm denying it's mine," he added. "She only works for the money you know. I don't really mind myself, as long I have a partner to satisfy myself with."

"Yukimura-sama, there is obvious proof right in this room that you did not just have sex with her." Sasuke's voice was trembling from his efforts to keep from outright snarling at Yukimura. "First, there is the lack of smell of the usual release of body fluids after a "satisfying" session. There is not even a hint of sweat having been leaked out of the body, and more over, I am very surprised that you completed such acts with her without making a mess of yourself- or her, or this room. You are certainly not aroused enough to have done practically anything but sit there and drink. So whatever you had accomplished with that woman, it wasn't as good as you make it out to be, is it? Yukimura-sama."

A sheepish grin appeared on Yukimura's face, directed at the tired expression of the boy in front of him. "Alright, you caught me on that. That was such a waste of good drinking money," he grumbled. "But did I hear that you did not disagree that I had done some less intense, yet still exciting activity with her?" He was still teasing, taunting – prodding and poking places better left untouched with his shameless words. Sasuke was too aware of his objective now to fall for it. Yet normally while he would have taken a much more proactive method to berate his master with his habit of playing around, he felt as though all his energy had been stripped of him tonight. He was just not in the mood, nor did he care much for it.

"Please, stop this Yukimura-sama," he said wearily. "You will not gain anything from freely giving out such large hoards of money to common women. Certainly not from me, if that was what you were hoping for," he added just for effect, to see if it will work. To his surprise, his master fell silent for a while, dark eyes staring off into space.

His voice was soft, barely audible when he spoke. "…Why can't I, Sasuke? All I ever needed to become the happiest man in this world was you." His tone was hushed, but the thin bitter layer rested upon the quiet tenor. Sasuke stood silent, arms crossed, staring intently at the man sitting on the floor as he continued to pour out the harsh feelings he had kept bottled up for the past days.

"You gave me everything I desired; you gave me love, you offered me confidence, you were practically the power source for my strength. Yet you had to draw that all away from me. Why, Sasuke? Why cannot you stay forever at my side, as we had been before?" Yukimura rose, his darkened eyes now turned fully to Sasuke, staring at him beseechingly, pleadingly. Turbulent emotions rose up in Sasuke's throat, but he gulped them down, readying a firm, yet equally quiet voice as his master's.

"Because I realized, Yukimura-sama," he said clearly. "And lucky thing I did, because it could have been too late. I realized that what you called your strength was slowly turning into your greatest weakness. Your perfect armor was applied a chink when your closest ally made it too soft. Your love," – He felt like choking, but forced himself to continue – " Your love was clouding your sight in the battlefield- you cannot see where your enemy is, much less attack it."

Inside he was reproaching himself, _Why did you have to go tell him that? You're hurting him!_

Yukimura was still talking to him, arguing. He wasn't going to let this time go without a fight. "But it needn't _be _a weakness," he pressed. "It was my main support through many things these past months, and I certainly would not have overcome them so easily without it. I swear I felt invincible with it. With _you_, Sasuke. Why cannot you come back to me?"

_Stop it! Isn't this what you want? What you need? Why do you push him away???_

He _was_ pushing him away, literally so. Just like with the man in the streets. For Yukimura had walked up to him, seized his body with strong, encircling arms that trapped his arms within them, and had held him tight, powerfully, in a chaste hug. Sasuke smelt the other man's soft, sweet scent, as he rested his head upon Yukimura's chest momentarily, just for a brief second relaxing into the feel of comfort with the long black hair tickling his nose, and the warmth of the other's body wrapping him in and embracing him, just as Yukimura was doing to him. None of the nausea from when the stranger had grabbed him welled up within the little boy, and he felt the most contented and safe than he had in the past several days.

But as much as he only wanted to melt into the man's arms right where he stood, the cruel jab of a reminding duty awakened him from his floating, dreamlike state. He started struggling against his master's hold, small cries of protest emitting from his mouth as his writhing only made Yukimura hug him tighter. Finally he gave up, and simply stood rigid, precariously close to losing his balance and falling forward face first, once again into Yukimura's chest.

"…If you are going to do something, then I suggest you get it over with, Yukimura-sama," he said quietly. "There are women everywhere in this house – I'm sure it would not be a favorable situation for us if they happen to stumble in on whatever you want to do to me."

Yukimura had not been moving from the start, simply standing there in the middle of the lamp lit room, pinning Sasuke to his larger body, but the shinobi thought he felt Yukimura stop breathing. Still, his arms around Sasuke did not slacken, and stayed as firm as ever. Sasuke continued, coldly, spitefully.

"What do you feel will be suitable to pleasure you tonight? I will oblige to anything you ask of me. I am, after all, your servant." He wasn't about to stop – he needed to get Yukimura off of him before he lost control… "Although, I admit I am quite shocked – I thought you promised yourself that you would not touch me, since last time–"

His grip on the boy _did _slack; completely, and the moment Sasuke felt the arms drop from him entirely he was thrown across the room by a single, swift blow to his left cheek. The crack resounded throughout the wide room, and Sasuke gasped as he staggered, and hit the floor below. Tears had formed due to impact on one eye, and instinctively he curled himself up into a small ball on the floor – yet seized moving the moment he realized what he was doing. Staring wide-eyed across the neatly woven tatami floors to the blank wall, he couldn't help his breathing becoming erratic as he tried to fill his lungs to replace the knocked out air. There was a slight shuffling noise as Yukimura sat himself back down, behind the tiny tray set with sake jugs and cups. The sakizuke Sasuke had bought lay beside them, only partially opened.

Yukimura's voice was rumbling, furious, and Sasuke wondered if the other emotion he was hearing was disgust.

"…Get out of my sight. You had no right to speak to me in that form of language."

Sensing that it was safe enough to get up now without having a bottle of sake thrown at his head, Sasuke rose unsteadily, legs wobbling uncertainly for some reason. Yukimura started issuing orders again.

"I want to get going at six tomorrow, so be sure to be ready. And get that woman to come back in here – call for Ochiku." Waving off Sasuke's wordless bow with one hand, he paused to take a sip before the dismissal. "Until the morning, do whatever you want, Sarutobi."

"……!!"

Sasuke took in a sharp intake, and let the words roll off his tongue with supposed grace and ease.

"Yes, my lord. Have a pleasurable night."

He decided to take the front door instead of the window for once. He had to let Yumiko know that he was going out, and that his master wanted a sleeping partner.

"Are you alright?" she asked tentatively, peering down at his shadowed eyes. "Don't you need to go to sleep?"

"I'm perfectly fine, thanks," he retorted. He just wanted to get away from the place, as far from his _master _as possible till the morning.

A small, silver haired boy ran like lightning from the brightly lit up brothel that night, weaving amongst the chattering, merry crowd and towards the less dense neighborhood.

Sasuke let the tears flow once he was past four blocks into the uptown area. The street was empty aside from him, the light from the paper lamps dimly reflecting onto his tousled, snow white hair. He finally slid down the wall of a closed shop, curling into a crouching position as he reached the ground. At first, a piercing intake of a cry escaped his lips, conveying his desperation and wretchedness to anybody who heard it, before he quieted down and wept.

The black clouds parted in the night sky, like opening curtains for a tragic act. The pale moon shone it's heavenly faded light down upon the misgiving town, upon the forlorn creature whimpering through crystal tears of broken love to the dusty earth.

* * *

Yes, let's all pity Sasuke.

I think I did a pretty good job on this one! Considering that I am loaded with homework I should have finished three weeks ago, and that I'm nineteen minutes and counting before midnight, I think that personally, I like this chapter best out of all my others.

I just hope that people agree with me…

For those who don't know, sakizuke or as I interpret into English, side dishes that go with sake are commonly served with the drink in relatively small amounts, to kill off time and hunger before the main course is cooked. I heard that sea urchins (uni) and Surf clam (mirugai) are great sakizuke. Uni goes especially well with wasabi or citrus juice. By the way, the Japanese name for cockles is torigai, which means if literally translated, bird clam (don't ask me why, there are several reasons).

We're finally nearing the last couple of chapters! Will Yukimura and Sasuke ever get back together again? Will Kyo find tune with the yaoi fan evolved Yuya and Okuni?? Will the squirrel our favourite pairing had for breakfast get revenge with the help of a bad case of food poisoning??? Will Yumiko exploit her writing skills to the world????

Come! Follow me as the story draws their curtains together for the end! Heeheeheeheeee!

…Okay, I am so high at night. Better go to sleep soon…

R&R!


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